The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as the "Ship Recycling Convention"), will enter into force on 26 June 2025, as announced in ClassNK Technical Information No. TEC-1311.

ClassNK provide guidance on the maintenance of Part I of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) required for shipowners, in accordance with the Ship Recycling Convention and the IMO Guidelines for Inventory Development (Resolution MEPC.379(80)).

With regard to the maintenance of Part I of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (hereinafter referred to as “IHM”), the following requirements are imposed on shipowners/ship management companies by the Convention and the IMO guidelines:

1. The IHM should be properly maintained throughout the operational life of the ship.
2. The maintenance of the IHM should be conducted by the designated responsible person by the shipowner or ship management company.
3. The update history of the IHM should be recorded within the IHM, along with the signature of the responsible person.
4. All documents related to the IHM belong to the vessel, these should be provided at the time of relevant survey or sale.

Please note that according to the IMO Guidelines for Port State Control (PSC) inspections related to the Ship Recycling Convention (Resolution MEPC.223(64)), the implementation of the procedures for maintaining the IHM will be one of the items subject to verification.

In view of the above, ClassNK surveyors will confirm the procedures for maintaining the IHM and the updated IHM to reflect changes during the relevant survey carried out under the Convention and under applied the ClassNK guidelines before the Convention’s entry into force.

The Ship Recycling Convention does not specify a format for the maintenance procedures. However, if there are deficiencies in procedures, various problems may arise. Therefore, ClassNK has made available an example of an IHM maintenance procedure document that meets the requirements on ClassNK website, accessible via the URL provided at the end of this document. ClassNK recommend that those who are preparing procedures for the maintenance of the IHM refer to this example to ensure proper management.

(To be continued)