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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2212
ANSWERED ON 31.07.2026
ALANG-SOSIYA SHIP RECYCLING YARD
2212. SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL:
SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY:
Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state:
प(cid:517)न, पोत प(cid:303)रवहन और जलमाग(cid:330) मं(cid:361)ी
(a) the total tonnage and number of vessels recycled at Alang-Sosiya Ship Recycling
Yard and the reasons for the decline in recycling volumes;
(b) the health and social infrastructure created for workers, including hospital facilities,
housing colony and welfare amenities;
(c) the regulations and safety training measures in place, including HKC compliance
status and connectivity improvements to the yard; and
(d) the steps taken by the Union Government and Government of Gujarat/GMB to
support the ship recycling industry during the recession period?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF PORTS SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
(SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)
(a) In 2025, India became the world's leading ship recycling nation. The Indian share
of global ship recycling has risen to 35.4% in 2025 from 30.1% in 2024 as per the latest
UN Trade & Development (UNCTAD) report. Ship recycling in India has significantly
increased to 2.99 million GT in 2025 from 1.86 million GT in 2024 i.e. 60% increase.
Alang-Sosiya Ship Recycling Yard, established in 1982-83 in Gujarat, is handling 98% of
India's ship recycling activity. The yard has 128 currently operational plots having
recycling capacity of 4.5 million Light Displacement Tonnage (LDT) per annum. Since the
inception, more than 8,900 ships aggregating more than 71 million LDT have been
recycled at Alang yard.
The global ship recycling volumes have declined by ~30% from 12.05 Million Gross
Tons (GT) in 2019 to 8.48 Million GT in 2025, which may be attributed to vessels being
utilized to a higher life span due to factors like higher charter rates since Covid-19pandemic, higher prices of new vessels and geopolitical situations like the Red Sea crisis.
While absolute recycling volumes have declined amid a broader global downward trend,
India's relative market share has shown more resilience w.r.t. the global scenario.
(b) A comprehensive health, safety, and welfare framework has been established for
workers at the Alang-Sosiya Ship Recycling Yard. A multispeciality hospital was
commissioned in March 2019 and upgraded in January 2025 to a 35-bed Level III Trauma
Centre. Operated by the Indian Red Cross Society, the hospital provides advanced
medical facilities, including an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), MRI, CT scan, Burns Unit, and
Operation Theatre. Staffed by 43 healthcare professionals, the hospital offers free
medical services and has treated more than 4.79 lakh patients as of June 2026. In
addition, financial assistance is provided for the maintenance and operation of another
primary hospital at Alang, Gujarat.
For worker welfare, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has developed a housing
colony with accommodation for 1,008 persons, supported by essential civic amenities.
(c) The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has taken various steps
to ensure compliance of the Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yards with the Hong Kong
Convention (HKC), 2009 which entered into force in June 2025. The MoPSW established
a comprehensive legal framework through the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019, the
Recycling of Ship Rules, 2021 and the Recycling of Ships Regulations, 2026 aligning
domestic ship recycling practices with the HKC requirements. Ship recycling facilities are
required to maintain approved Ship Recycling Facility Management Plans and implement
recycling operations through approved Ship Recycling Plans. To ensure compliance, the
GMB has empanelled recognized oganisation for inspection, certification and compliance
verification, while also regularly conducting audits, safety monitoring and environmental
compliance checks.
The GMB maintains environmental safeguards through a Treatment, Storage and
Disposal Facility (TSDF) comprising hazardous and non-hazardous waste landfills,
effluent treatment facilities, and incineration facilities.
More than 1.57 lakh workers have been trained at the Safety and Labour
Welfare Institute established by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) in 2003.
Mandatory safety training, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), firefighting,
emergency response, and occupational health monitoring are strictly implemented
for workers in the ship recycling yards.
To strengthen the ship recycling ecosystem, financial assistance of ₹ 53.5 crore
under the Ferrous Scrap Development Fund (FSDF) has been released to Indian ship
recycling yards. As a result of these proactive measures undertaken, 115 ship recyclingplots at Alang have achieved HKC compliance, demonstrating India's readiness and
leadership in safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.
To improve connectivity between the Alang-Sosiya Ship Recycling Yard and
Bhavnagar (located approximately 52 km away), a 7.7 km four-lane road from Trapaj
Junction to Alang has been completed, connecting the yard to National Highway-51.
(d) To enhance the competitiveness of the Indian ship recycling industry, the
Government of India has launched the Shipbreaking Credit Note Scheme. Under the
scheme, ship owners receive a credit note equivalent to 40% of the scrap value of a
recycled ship when the recycling is carried out at an HKC-compliant Indian ship recycling
yard. The credit note can be utilized towards payment of up to 5% of the contract value
of a new ship built at an Indian shipyard, thereby promoting both domestic ship recycling
and shipbuilding.
Other measures include Nil import duty on ships imported for recycling until March
2035 and financial relaxations of ₹ 145.23 crore extended by GMB to plot permission
holders during the last five financial years.
Further, the Government of India has approached the European authorities to
expedite the inclusion of eligible Indian ship recycling yards in the European Union (EU)
list of approved ship recycling facilities.
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