Japan intends to add cybutryne to the list of hazardous materials for ship recycling

On 1 June 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) of Japan jointly announced the proposal to add cybutryne to the list of hazardous substances that need permission when dismantling a ship. Cybutryne is a biocide used in antifouling paints. The action comes after cybutryne was added to the standards for creating an inventory of hazardous elements in April 2023 by the International Maritime Organisation's subcommittee on pollution prevention and response.

The enforcement is anticipated to begin in the middle of July, and public comment is ongoing until 2 July 2023.

It becomes mandatory for ship owners to provide an inventory of any hazardous materials discovered in the ship's machinery and structure in accordance with the country's Proper Implementation of Ship Recycling and Dismantling Act. This act aspires to align with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Ecologically Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC). The HKC was adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2009 and will enter into effect 24 months after 15 states have signed it and other prerequisites have been satisfied. The HKC is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment.