ISO 30000:2009 specifies requirements for a management system to enable a ship recycling facility to develop and implement procedures, policies and objectives in order to be able to undertake safe and environmentally sound ship recycling operations in accordance with national and international standards. The management system requirements take into account the relevant legal requirements, safety standards and environmental elements that the ship recycling facility needs to identify and comply with in order to carry out safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.

ISO 30000:2009 applies to the entire process: accepting a ship for recycling by the facility; assessing the hazards onboard the ship; identifying and complying with any applicable notification and import requirements for ships to be recycled; carrying out the recycling process in a safe and environmentally sound manner; conducting required training; ensuring the availability of social amenities (e.g. first aid, health checks, food and beverages); storage and processing of materials and wastes from the ship; waste stream and recycling stream management, including contractual agreements; and documentation controls for the process, including any applicable notification of the final disposal of the vessel.

ISO 30000:2009 is applicable to any ship recycling facility that wishes to:

• establish, implement, maintain and improve a safe and environmentally sound management system for the recycling of ships;
• assure itself of conformity with its stated safe and environmentally sound management policy;
• demonstrate conformity with ISO 30000:2009 by
• making a self-determination and self-declaration, or
• seeking confirmation of its conformance by parties having an interest in the facility such as customers, or
• seeking confirmation of its self-declaration by a party external to the organization, or
• seeking certification/registration of its management system by an external organization.

All the requirements of ISO 30000:2009 are intended to be incorporated into the management systems of any ship recycling facility. In order to be in compliance with this International Standard, the management systems will address all requirements.

A comparison of this International Standard and the planned IMO International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships is given in Annex A.