LONDON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Ankara led the way on an international convention regulating ship recycling by signing onto a U.N.-backed environmental treaty, the United Nations said.
Unal Cevikoz, the Turkish envoy to the United Nations, signed the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships during a ceremony in London, the United Nations reported on it news Web site.
The treaty is aimed at ensuring the processes used to recycle ships is conducted with the best environmental practices in mind. The convention, adopted in May 2009, outlines ways to deal with asbestos, heavy metals and harmful chemicals found in shipbuilding.
It also deals with the design of new vessels to make sure their manufacture doesn't pose a risk to the environment.
The convention enters into force in two years after member states representing the bulk of merchant shipping in the world sign the measure.
Turkey is one of the five major ship recycling nations in the world.
