Leading classification society ClassNK (Chairman and President: Noboru Ueda) has issued a Statement of Compliance (SOC) to Jiangsu Changrong Steel Co. Ltd. (CEO: Yung Wai Ching) in line with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (Hong Kong Convention). This makes Jiangsu Changrong Steel Co. Ltd. the fourth facility in the world to earn such certification in line with the Hong Kong Convention.

Jiangsu Changrong Steel is a ship recycling facility located on the Yangtze River in China’s Jiangsu Province. In order to carry out safer and more environmentally friendly ship recycling, the yard worked closely with nearby ship shipbuilding and repair yard Chengxi Shipyard (Xinrong) Co., Ltd., whose stakeholders include China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and Mitsui & Co., to support the expansion and improvement of its recycling facilities. 

Under the Hong Kong Convention, ship recycling facilities must submit a Ship Recycling Facility Plan (SRFP) showing that the ship recycling methods being implemented at the facility are safe and environmentally sound to relevant authorities. Jiangsu Changrong Steel began developing its SRFP earlier this year, and turned to ClassNK to certify its SRFP contents prior to the expected adoption of the new convention.  Working as a third-party certification body, ClassNK auditors carried out a thorough investigation of the facility and the contents of its SRFP before issuing Statement of Compliance certifying the facilities and procedures were fully in accordance with the Hong Kong Convention requirements.

With this certification, Jiangsu Changrong Steel becomes the fourth recycling facility in the world to be certified in accordance with the Hong Kong Convention, following Jiangmen Zhongxin Shipbreaking & Steel Co., Ltd (Guangdong, China) in December 2012, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Marine Service Co., Ltd (Liaoning, China) in September 2013, and Miyaji Salvage (Kagawa, Japan) in December 2013. All four ship recycling facilities have been certified by ClassNK.