One Year of the Hong Kong Convention: What We Have Seen
A year ago, we wrote about the Hong Kong Convention entering into force and our concern that the compliance bar was set too low; that yards capable of presenting the right documentation could achieve certification without meaningfully changing how they operate. Twelve months on, that concern has proven well-founded. The list of HKC-approved facilities includes yards that, based on our on-the-ground assessments, fall well short of what genuine safe and responsible recycling looks like in practice. Certification and performance are not the same thing, and the gap between them is real.
The EU Ship Recycling Regulation continues to provide the stronger standard, and our own Calmocean-assessed yard list remains the most direct way for owners to understand what they are actually choosing between. The HKC has value as a framework, it has raised the floor in markets where there was previously very little structure at all. But for owners who want more than a floor, independent assessment remains essential. We are on the ground every day at the yards that matter. If you are making recycling decisions and want a clear picture of what the options actually look like, reach out to our team.