IMO Resolution A.1068

IMO Resolution A.1068
Title	IMO Resolution A.1068
Adopted	2013
Organization	International Maritime Organization
Code	A.1068(28)
Subject	Guidelines on ship recycling
Status	recommendatory

IMO Resolution A.1068.

IMO Resolution A.1068 was adopted by the International Maritime Organization at the IMO Assembly in 2013 and provides updated guidelines concerning ship recycling, safety, and environmental protection. The resolution connects practices across a broad range of stakeholders including International Labour Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, Basel Convention, and regional authorities such as the European Union and the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme. It builds upon precedents set by instruments such as the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, the MARPOL Convention, and standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization.

Background and adoption

The resolution emerged amid debates involving delegations from United States, People's Republic of China, India, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, and representatives of industry bodies like the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Transport Workers' Federation, and the Baltic and International Maritime Council. Discussions referenced incidents at shipyards in Alang, Gadani, and Chittagong and drew on findings by World Health Organization specialists and reports from the International Labour Organization on occupational health. The Assembly vote followed deliberations at the Marine Environment Protection Committee and consultations with Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission experts and academic centres such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southampton, and Delft University of Technology.

Scope and objectives

A.1068 frames guidance for parties engaged in ship recycling, shipowners registered with administrations like the Marshall Islands, Panama, Liberia, and classification societies including Lloyd's Register, American Bureau of Shipping, DNV and Bureau Veritas. Objectives align with public policy instruments such as the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal and the Stockholm Convention and seek to reduce risks identified by agencies including the European Chemicals Agency and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The resolution targets ship recycling facilities, design and construction professionals, and port state control authorities such as those under the Paris MoU and the Tokyo MoU.

Key provisions and recommended practices

The text recommends procedures for inventories of hazardous materials informed by guidance from SOLAS and STCW competency frameworks and informed by chemical lists from the OECD and the IMSBC Code. It advises on ship design elements for safer recycling referencing principles promoted by ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 management systems and aligns with technical recommendations from the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization. The resolution highlights contractor selection practices used by the International Chamber of Shipping and standards for occupational protection derived from the International Organization for Standardization and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Implementation and compliance guidance

Guidance in A.1068 recommends national administrations, flag States such as United Kingdom, Norway, and Singapore, and port States to integrate the resolution into compliance tools used by the International Association of Classification Societies and enforcement networks such as the Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU. It encourages use of inventories consistent with documentation practices from SOLAS certificates and ship recycling plans comparable to submissions under MARPOL annexes and coordinated through regional organizations like the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the ASEAN. Capacity-building measures referenced include technical cooperation projects with the United Nations Development Programme, training by the International Maritime Training Trust, and collaboration with non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace and International Council on Clean Transportation.

Impact and relationship to other IMO instruments

A.1068 complements the Hong Kong Convention and harmonizes with obligations under MARPOL, SOLAS, and labour standards under STCW and MLC, 2006. It interacts with regional legal frameworks such as the European Waste Shipment Regulation and international treaties including the Basel Convention and the Rotterdam Convention. The resolution influenced policy dialogues in national legislatures of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, and China, and informed guidance produced by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development working groups and standards bodies like ISO.

Historical developments and revisions

Following adoption, A.1068 has been cited in subsequent IMO instruments and in the continuing process toward entry into force of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. Subsequent IMO meetings of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee, and specialized workshops at World Maritime University and the International Chamber of Shipping have reviewed implementation experience, prompting updates in administrative guidance and technical circulars issued to member States and stakeholders including UNCTAD and the FAO.

Category:International Maritime Organization resolutions