A Tale of Two Treaties: The International Legal Landscape Regarding Shipbreaking


With the recent entry into force (on 26 June 2025) of the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling, this article examines its relationship with the older Basel Convention on hazardous waste. Can the two international treaties coexist, or do they risk undermining each other? Drawing on treaty law and Conference of the Parties deliberations, the article probes questions of legal harmony, equivalence of control, and the pressing need for clarity in the international regulation of shipbreaking.