KARACHI: Pakistan has passed new maritime legislation aimed at implementing the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009, paving the way for expansion of the country’s ship recycling industry.
The Senate on Thursday approved the Environmentally Sound Management of Inventory of Hazardous Material on Ships Bill, 2026 after it had earlier been cleared by the National Assembly.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said the legislation would regulate hazardous materials in ship recycling, improve environmental and workplace safety standards and strengthen sustainable shipbreaking practices.
He said the law would require mandatory surveys, inspections and certification of hazardous material inventories for every ship arriving in Pakistani waters for recycling.
According to the minister, ships violating the law could face seizure, detention, removal from Pakistani waters and other penalties.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs will serve as the national focal point for implementation and coordination with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), he added.
The minister said Pakistan had become the 23rd country to accede to the Hong Kong convention and noted that the country handled nearly one-third of global ship recycling activity, placing it among the world’s top three ship recycling nations.
He said the ship recycling industry established in Gadani during the 1980s remained an important source of economic activity and employment, making alignment with international environmental and labour standards necessary.
The legislation also prohibits the use of hazardous materials identified under the convention and introduces enforcement mechanisms aimed at environmentally sound waste management.
Officials said the government expects a rise in shipbreaking activity in Pakistani yards following global geopolitical disruptions, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent US-Israel-Iran war.
Earlier government estimates suggested around 400 ships could potentially move to Pakistani shipyards for dismantling.
Separately, the maritime affairs minister has proposed the creation of a “steel corridor” linking Karachi shipyard operations with Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).
Officials said iron recovered through shipbreaking activities could be supplied to Pakistan Steel Mills as part of efforts to revive the long-idle state-owned steel complex.
The minister said complementary legal frameworks had been developed at both federal and provincial levels to implement the convention, noting that the Balochistan Assembly had already enacted the Balochistan Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships Act, 2025, last year.
He added that the legislation would support climate action, hazardous waste management, sustainable industrial development and Pakistan’s transition towards a circular economy under the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
