Pratik Bijlani –
The Indian Maritime Centre (IMC) organised an online workshop on 24 April titled Aligning India’s Ship Recycling Ecosystem with EU Regulatory Standards, bringing together leading stakeholders from across the maritime sector to discuss how India can strengthen its ship recycling industry in line with evolving international compliance requirements. The event reflected India’s ambition to enhance its global leadership in sustainable ship recycling while ensuring stronger environmental, labour, and operational standards.
Presiding over the workshop, Mr Devki Nandan, President of IMC, welcomed participants and outlined IMC’s role as a unified platform representing nearly 7,000 maritime-related companies and institutions in India. In his presentation, he emphasised that ship recycling remains a strategic pillar under Maritime India Vision 2030, contributing through steel recovery, employment generation, and industrial growth. He stated, “India’s ship recycling sector holds immense strategic and economic value. To achieve our vision of becoming number one globally, we must bridge gaps in infrastructure, technology and compliance. Through collaboration and clear policy support, India can build a world-class, green and globally competitive ship recycling ecosystem.”
Mr PK Mishra, Managing Director of IRClass, presented an overview of the global ship recycling outlook, noting that the average age of vessels has increased significantly, which is expected to generate greater recycling demand. He explained that while many Indian yards already comply with the Hong Kong Convention (HKC), the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR) imposes stricter standards relating to waste traceability, occupational safety, impermeable flooring, drainage systems, and environmental controls.
Representing the Directorate General of Shipping, Mr Pravin Kapale and Mr Ankur Anal delivered a presentation on India’s regulatory readiness. They highlighted that Alang recycles nearly 500 ships annually, employs around 15,000 workers, and has over 100 HKC-compliant yards. They also spoke about the upcoming digital Ship Recycling Portal, designed to improve transparency, inspections, certifications, worker training, and real-time compliance monitoring.
Mr Walton Pantland of IndustriALL Global Union presented an international labour and competitiveness perspective. He said India is strongly positioned to become the global leader in ship recycling due to the improving standards at Alang, credible governance, and clear policy support. He stated, “India today stands in a strong position to become the global leader in ship recycling, built on the consistent quality of its yards, credible governance, and a clear industrial vision. By strengthening worker welfare, environmental safeguards, and social dialogue, India can set the benchmark for safe, sustainable, and responsible ship recycling worldwide.”
Mr Haresh Parmar of SRIA India spoke on the progress achieved at Alang, highlighting infrastructure upgrades such as impermeable floors, waste management systems, heavy lifting facilities, worker training centres, and improved healthcare access. He also noted a sharp reduction in accidents and fires over the last decade.
Mr Vidyadhar Rane of ASSRGWA focused on worker welfare, stressing that long-term sustainability must include fair wages, paid leave, pension security, and dignified working conditions. Ms Pallavi Mansingh of the ILO presented the importance of stronger occupational safety systems, collective bargaining, ESG transparency, and tripartite cooperation between government, industry, and labour.
Dr Anand Hiremath of GMS Inc. offered a strategic industry view, urging India to continue strengthening implementation of the Hong Kong Convention while maintaining confidence in its own regulatory systems. Dr Yogindra Samant of the ILO South Asia Office highlighted the need to address occupational diseases, long-term chemical exposure, and health surveillance systems for workers.
Mr Naeem Masani of YSI Recyclers LLP spoke in favour of India pursuing EUSRR recognition, noting that a large share of global tonnage is owned by European interests and that Alang has already made significant progress in infrastructure and compliance standards.
The workshop concluded with a summary by Ms Mansingh, who reinforced that India’s ship recycling sector stands at a defining moment. With continued reforms, stronger worker protections, and coordinated policy support, India is well placed to emerge as the global benchmark for safe, sustainable, and responsible ship recycling.
Marex Media