Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that capsized and sank on 31 January 2012 off the coast of the island of Giglio (Tuscany), is still stranded in the entry to the port. Righted and stabilised with concrete structures, it will be towed to a dismantling site soon. Pending an imminent decision by the shipowner as to the final destination – the options are the ports of Piombino (opposite Giglio), Genoa and a port in Turkey – the non-governmental organisation Shipbreaking…
Background
The purpose of Regulation (EU) 1257/2013 on ship recycling is to prevent, reduce and minimise accidents, injuries and other adverse effects on human health and the environment caused by ship recycling. It is also meant to ensure appropriate management of the hazardous materials found on board ships. Under the regulation, all new ships must maintain an on board inventory of hazardous materials contained in their structure or equipment, detailing their location and approximate quantities. Existing ships must comply with this requirement as far as possible within seven years. The text provides for the establishing and regular updating of a European list of approved ship recycling installations. It will include two sub-lists indicating the ship recycling facilities located in a member state and those in a third country. Penalties for infringement of the regulation must be defined by each member state. The regulation transposes into EU law the 2009 United Nations Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention).
