Rest in peace: From shipbreaking to sustainable ship recycling.

摘要

Despite the moral indignation raised by ship recycling, the realpolitik that surrounds this industry has rendered it an intractable international law problem. However, due to the initiatives by the International Maritime Organization, the international community is soon to have a roadmap at least from a normative perspective - the Draft "International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships" (Draft Convention). Following a survey of existing domestic and international law to regulate shipbreaking activities, this thesis assesses the strengthens and weaknesses of the Draft Convention to meet the peculiar challenges that confront this industry and argues that the present initiative may not succeed as it fails to strike a balance between environmental considerations, the basic human rights of shipbreakers, and the commercial realties of the recycling industry. Accordingly, it forwards recommendations to ensure a holistic and integrated approach to recycling ships so as to allow its sustainable growth.