Japan’s classification society, ClassNK, has issued the first Statement of Compliance (SoC) for a ship recycling facility in Japan to Miyaji Salvage Company. The SoC certifies that the Miyaji facility and its recycling procedures are fully in compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009. Miyaji gained the SoC after its dismantlement of the historic Japanese railway ferry Yotei Maru last year. During the 8,311gt ship’s breaking, ClassNK monitored procedures and certified that Miyaji had developed an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) and a Ship Recycling Plan (SRP) as required by the convention. JS