A/HRC/12/26 page 19 54. The Ship Recycling Convention seeks to prevent, reduce, minimize and, to the extent practicable, eliminate accidents, injuries and other adverse effects on human health and the environment caused by ship recycling, and enhance ship safety, protection of human health and the environment throughout a ship’s operating life (art. 1.1). Regulations for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships are annexed to the Convention, and form an integral part of it. 55. The Convention sets out specific requirements with regard to the operation of ships in consideration of their end-of-life recycling. Parties to the Convention have an obligation to prohibit and/or restrict the installation or use of hazardous materials listed in appendix 1 (asbestos, ozone-depleting substances, PCBs and anti-fouling compounds and systems) on ships entitled to fly their flags or operating under their authority (regulation 4.1). All ships (both new and existing) are required to have on board an inventory of hazardous materials, to be updated throughout the ship’s life. The inventory must be specific to each ship and identify, in Part I, hazardous materials contained in the ship’s structure or equipment, and clarify that the ship complies with regulation 4 (regulations 5.1 and 5.2). Part I of the inventory must be properly maintained and updated throughout the ship’s operational life. Prior to recycling, Part II on operationally generated wastes and Part III on stores have to be incorporated in the inventory (regulation 5.4). 56. Recycling States have an obligation to ensure that ship-recycling facilities operating under their jurisdiction are authorized in accordance with the regulations annexed to the Convention (art. 6). Ships can only be recycled at ship-recycling facilities that are: (a) authorized in accordance with the Convention; and (b) fully authorized to undertake all the recycling activities specified in the ship-recycling plan (see paragraph 58 below). A ship going for recycling shall be certified as ready for recycling by the competent authority of the flag State prior to any recycling activity taking place (regulation 8.6). 57. Authorized ship-recycling facilities are required to prepare a ship-recycling facility plan (regulation 18), and adopt and implement appropriate procedures and plans for: the prevention of hazardous conditions like explosions and fire, or accidents, spills, and emissions which may cause harm to human health and/or the environment (regulation 19). The regulations also cover the safe and environmentally sound management of hazardous materials (regulation 20); emergency preparedness and response (regulation 21); worker safety and training (regulation 22); and reporting on incidents, accidents, occupational diseases and chronic effects resulting from ship-recycling activities (regulation 23). 58. Prior to any recycling, ship-recycling facilities have to develop a ship-specific ship-recycling plan (regulation 9.1), which should include information on, inter alia, the establishment of safe-for-entry and safe-for-hot-work conditions, the type and amount of materials indentified in the inventory of hazardous materials that the facility can handle in an environmentally sound manner, and how the recycling will be undertaken. 59. IMO is currently developing a set of voluntary guidelines in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention. These guidelines will cover aspects such as the development of the inventory of hazardous materials, authorization of ship-recycling facilities, development of the ship-recycling plan, and safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.