In June, NYK and its group company NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers completed the dismantling of a heavy lifer named Kamo at the PHP Ship Recycling Facility in Bangladesh. The NYK Group is the first Japanese shipping company to complete dismantling at the yard, meeting ship recycling regulations specified in the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships 2009, commonly known as the Hong Kong Convention.

The facility is operated by PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries, which meets the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention and has been certified by NYK.

To confirm adherence to these standards, the NYK Group dispatched supervisors and seafarers to monitor the prevention of environmental pollution and industrial accidents. Following the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the NYK Group confirmed that human rights were thoroughly respected through human rights due diligence conducted by a third party.

Ship-recycling yards are mainly located in developing countries such as India and Bangladesh, and some of those yards have received international attention for needing to adopt proper measures to prevent environmental pollution and industrial accidents. 

Bangladesh’s ratification of the Hong Kong Convention on June 26 paved the way for the treaty’s entry into force two years later on June 26, 2025. In the meantime, international society is expected to step forward to address issues at ship-recycling yards.

NYK has actively worked to improve antipollution measures and safety controls in the ship-recycling industry by participating in the Japanese government’s monitoring committee for Bangladesh yards. On July 3, NYK newly certified two ship-recycling yards in Bangladesh that meet the company’s standards. 

Photo credit: NYK. Kamo dismantled at PHP yard.