Malta as a flag state ranks No 1 in Europe and No 6 worldwide in
terms of registered tonnage. As an EU member since 2004, Malta
strictly adheres to the EU Ship-Recycling Regulation (Regulation
1257/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on ship
recycling), and in fact, all Malta registered vessels are obliged
to comply with this Regulation.
The concept of sustainable ship recycling underlying the
Regulation has gained widespread support and popularity, with the
aim of rendering the scrapping of ships safer and less toxic to the
environment.
The Regulation, which came into force in 2013 and entered into
full effect in December 2018, is currently the only legally binding
framework regulating ship recycling. Although the Regulation is
largely based on the Hong Kong International Convention for the
Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, the Convention
has not yet entered into force due to lack of support from states
on an international scale.
