Six major shipping associations are pressing the EU to approve two Indian ship recycling facilities for its authorised list, a move that would give India its first entries on the European List of Ship Recycling Facilities, according to a joint statement.
BIMCO, European Shipowners | ECSA, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and the World Shipping Council backed the proposed additions to the 16th edition of the list.
The proposal covers Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Pvt Ltd and Shree Ram Shipping Industries Pvt Ltd at plots 78 and 81, and YSI Recyclers LLP at plot 59 in India’s Alang-Sosiya recycling cluster in Gujarat.
The European Commission’s draft concluded after assessments and inspections that the facilities met requirements under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. Consultation on the proposal ran from 22 July to 30 August.
“Non-OECD yards that meet the EU SRR’s safety and environmental requirements can and should be recognised,” the associations said. They urged policymakers to “swiftly approve and adopt the updated EU list”.
If adopted, the facilities would become the first Indian and first South Asian yards admitted to the European List. Since 31 December 2018, large seagoing vessels flying an EU member-state flag and sent for recycling have been required to use an approved facility.
The associations said more than 95% of global ship recycling takes place in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Türkiye, with more vessels expected to reach the end of their operating lives over the coming decade.
Alang-Sosiya accounts for 98% of India’s ship recycling activity, with 128 operational plots and annual capacity of about 4.5m light displacement tonnes. India accounted for 35.4% of global ship recycling volume in 2025. A total of 35 Alang yards have applied for European green-listing, while 115 Indian facilities comply with the Hong Kong Convention, which entered into force on 26 June 2025.
NGO Shipbreaking Platform opposes the proposal, arguing that the beaching method creates a double standard against environmental and worker-protection requirements applied to European facilities.