Preface
This group master thesis was written as part of the LL.M. Maritime Program at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, University of Oslo. Apart from minor adjustments, this master’s thesis is published as it was submitted at the University of Oslo on 2 December 2024.
In this master thesis, we have examined the relationship between the Hong Kong Convention and the Basel Convention, focusing on whether the Hong Kong Convention provides an equivalent level of control and enforcement as required by Article 11 of the Basel Convention. To be noted, the Conference of the Parties to Basel Convention have not yet decided whether the Hong Kong Convention provides an equivalent level of control and enforcement as required by Article 11 of the Basel Convention. With the Hong Kong Convention scheduled to enter into force on 26 June 2025, the interplay between the two conventions remains unsettled. The thesis aims at providing solutions and guidance for solving the interplay between the two conventions. However, the Conferences of the Parties of the Basel Convention are expected to decide on this matter during its 17th meeting, which is scheduled between the 28 April to 3 May 2025, after the publishing of this thesis, and just little over a month before the entering into force of the Hong Kong Convention. Nonetheless, the Conferences of the Parties of the Basel Convention, and in collaboration with the Marine Environment Protection Committee, might achieve a different result in their upcoming meeting in May.
We would like to extend our immense gratitude to our thesis supervisor, Kristina Siig, for her invaluable guidance, insightful advice, and meticulous critique. Moreover, we are deeply grateful to Sara Tesfai for her extensive support throughout the process and for the encouragement to write the thesis together. We are also immensely thankful to our families and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout the entire process.
Lastly, the co-writing process has highlighted the importance of fostering collaboration, and that sharing knowledge is the right approach to tackling complex issues within the maritime field. We wholeheartedly recommend future students, who are interested in challenging themselves, to co-write a master thesis.
Oslo, 31 March 2025
Maria Roxana Ciobanu and Katrine Bygholm Refsing