The work sees many injuries and fatalities to workers, as they lack the correct safety equipment to handle the large ship correctly as it is dismantled and most vessels contain a large amount of hazardous materials such as asbestos, PCBs, TBT, and CFCs, which can also lead to highly life-threatening diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Existing ships must comply no later than five years after the convention comes into force, or prior to being recycled if this occurs before the five-year period.

It will enter into force two years after "15 states, representing 40% of the world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, and on average 3% of recycling tonnage for the previous 10 years, have either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval, or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary General".

The Transitional Measures are also supported by the national shipowners' associations of Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Liberia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

For a ship recycling yard to be included in the list, the facilities must comply with strict environmental and worker safety standards, reducing toxic waste release and promoting safe dismantling practices.

[11] To be included on the European List, ship recycling facilities must adhere to specific requirements set by the EU and aligned with the Hong Kong Convention and other international guidelines.

This includes handling hazardous materials on impermeable surfaces, training workers and provide them with protective equipment, implementing emergency plans, and recording incidents.

This inventory, which must be maintained throughout the ship's life, helps guide shipyards and recyclers on safe waste management and reduces accidental environmental contamination.

[15] The list excluded some of the most major ship recycling yards in India and Bangladesh, which have achieved SoCs with the HKC in various class societies.

Throughout the certificate's validity, which can last up to three months, the ship's owners may face the risk of arrest in some ports for violating the Basel Convention.

This decision effectively created an unauthorized exemption from the Basel Regime for certain types of hazardous waste, lacking sufficient justification.