Environmental and human rights impacts of ship recycling: interaction and tension between different legal regimes

In recent years, the international community has paid a growing attention to the adverse effects of ship-breaking activities on the environment and on human rights. At global and regional levels, many initiatives have been under way in order to achieve the development of a sustainable ship-dismantling industry. Several international organizations and mechanisms, environmental and human rights NGOs and industry associations are participating in the debate and contributing to the creation of an evolving body of norms and guidelines, gradually making it clear that the global dimension and complexity of the matter require enhanced cooperation among all the States involved and all the stakeholders concerned. The presentatiuon analyzed the evolving international normative framework at the global level, highlighting the regulatory questions connected with the matter. The first international mandatory instrument aimed specifically at ship-recycling, the "Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships", is analyzed to assess how far it addresses the environmental and safety concerns inherent in ship-recycling and to investigate interactions and tensions with existing instruments.