India Becomes World’s Top Ship Recycling Nation

India became the world’s top ship recycling nation in 2025, with a global share of 35.4 per cent and a recycling volume of 2.99 million gross tons. The figure rose from 30.1 per cent in 2024 and 1.86 million gross tons in the previous year.

Ship Recycling in India

Ship recycling refers to the dismantling of end-of-life vessels for the recovery of steel, machinery, and other materials. India’s ship recycling industry is concentrated at Alang in Gujarat, which is one of the largest ship recycling yards in the world. The country reached this position before the Maritime India Vision 2030 target.

Legal and Convention Framework

The Recycling of Ships Act, 2019 provides the legal framework for ship recycling in India. The Act aligns Indian rules with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, which India ratified in 2019 and which became mandatory on 26 June 2025. The convention sets standards for worker safety, hazardous waste handling, and environmentally sound dismantling.

Capacity, Compliance and Infrastructure

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has provided ₹53.5 crore in financial assistance for modernisation of ship recycling yards. This support helped 115 facilities achieve Hong Kong Convention compliance. Plans are in place to expand India’s ship recycling capacity to about 9 million light displacement tons through the expansion of the Alang Ship Recycling Yard.

Important Facts for Exams

• Gross tonnage is a measure of a ship’s internal volume and is used in maritime statistics.
• Light displacement tonnage measures the weight of a ship without cargo, fuel, passengers, or stores.
• The Hong Kong International Convention was adopted under the International Maritime Organization framework.
• South Asia remains a major global ship recycling region, with India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan among the key countries.

Recent Industry Concerns

In 2025, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform stated that 214 out of 321 vessels dismantled globally ended up in South Asia. The same year, 11 worker fatalities and 62 injuries were recorded in South Asia in connection with shipbreaking activities.