The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe & Environmentally-sound Recycling of Ships was adopted at the International Maritime Organisation's Diplomatic Conference, which ended here today.

The convention provides a regulatory framework to ensure ships are disposed of in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner when decommissioned.

Attending the signing ceremony, Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng said: "This significant international convention provides a single regulatory platform needed to address safety, health and environmental issues in the disposal of end-of-life ships. It will help protect the health of workers in recycling yards, reduce damage to the environment and be instrumental to the sustainable development of the shipping industry worldwide."

One of the most important requirements under the new convention is the need to have an updated inventory of hazardous materials aboard a ship so precautionary measures can be taken to protect workers and the environment.

The Hong Kong Shipping Register has just crossed the 41 million gross-tonnage mark and the city's shipowners own, manage or operate nearly 10% of the world's merchant fleet.

"Our shipping industry has been an active and responsible member of the global shipping community, and Hong Kong will certainly play our part in supporting the regulatory framework for ship recycling based on the convention," Ms Cheng said.