the global treaty regulating the cross-border movement of hazardous wastes will now also apply to ships that become hazardous wastes when they cease to be in use. The decision was taken by 114 member countries of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal during their seventh Conference of Parties (cop-7), held in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 25-29, 2004.

Recognising that ships containing hazardous materials, such as asbestos, pcbs, toxic paints and fuel residues, could themselves become hazardous waste, the members decided that countries exporting ships for recycling should seek the prior informed consent of importing countries. They also stressed that the global management of ship dismantling must be made environmentally sound. The decision on ship dismantling encourages developed nations to develop domestic ship recycling facilities. This would reduce their need to export ships to countries with limited capacities to manage the hazardous wastes contained in them. Countries like India, China and Bangladesh, which have huge ship-breaking facilities, have to bear the burden of such toxic substances. But since ship-breaking activity is a major economic activity for them, providing employment to thousands of people, some of them emphasised the need for de-contamination of waste ships prior to export rather than no export at all.

Since the International Maritime Organization (imo)