EU Ship Recycling Regulation, IHM and Recycling: What Are Your Responsibilities as a Ship Supplier?

Watch a detailed webinar and expert panel discussion on the EU Ship Recycling Regulation

According to the EU Ship Recycling Regulation, shipowners are required to create and keep an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM). What part do ship suppliers play in it? ISSA, the International Ship Suppliers Association, had been receiving queries and concerns from OCEAN ship supplier members relating to their responsibilities under EU Ship Recycling Regulations (SRR) Important to talk the issues through. We present an interesting discussion and webinar. 

According to the EU Ship Recycling Regulation, shipowners are required to create and keep an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM). What part do ship suppliers play in it?

Recycling for greener and safer ships

The EU has included rules from the so-called Hong Kong Convention (HKC) into its legislation, displaying its dedication to secure and environmentally sustainable ship recycling. As a consequence, the EU now claims that these new EU regulations on ship recycling seek to make it greener and safer and to lessen the detrimental effects of recycling ships on the environment and society. The EU Ship Recycling Regulation, or EUSRR for short, is the consequence of the EU introducing new safety and environmental safeguards in addition to the current Convention criteria.

Recycling of ships is a worldwide issue.

The EU claims that many large boats are demolished each year in poor environmental and social conditions. The labour employed get pitiful earnings and often receive subpar safety precautions and equipment. As a result, there have been several fatalities, environmental harm, and pollution.

Introducing the EUSRR

The only legally enforceable regulation governing ship recycling is the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR). All EU shipowners, ships flying the EU flag, and foreign ships visiting EU ports are required to abide by it.

The regulation is in place to make sure that recycling of ships is done in a way that is both ecologically sound and safe. Additionally, it restricts or outlaws the use of ozone-depleting compounds and dangerous materials like asbestos. Additionally, a listing of ship recycling facilities in Europe is planned.

The list of hazardous waste products

The EUSRR mandates that all EU ships, including those that are being dismantled, as well as new European ships and ships from other countries that are calling at EU ports, must have a list of hazardous items on board. The location and approximate quantity of these items must be noted in this inventory. This rule reduces the amount of hazardous materials present aboard ships and aids in the recycling process of vessels. Ships may be inspected by EU port authorities to make sure they have the required documentation and inventory.

It is essential to gather information about the ship's structure and equipment from the Material Declaration (MD) and Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) in order to build and maintain the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). Both shipowners (for IHM-Maintenance) and suppliers of pertinent parts and equipment (for IHM-Development in new ships) are required to supply this information under the terms of the EUSRR rules and the future HKC regulations.

An insightful webinar

The goal of the webinar, recorded in December 2022, was to discuss how the new regulation impacts ship stores and who was responsible for doing what. Please watch the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76787BKgNo