New BIMCO Documentary Spotlights Alang’s Ship Recycling Transformation Under the Hong Kong Convention
ALANG, INDIA — International shipping association BIMCO has released “Breaking Better,” an in-depth documentary examining the operational, environmental, and human transformation sweeping the global ship recycling sector.
Filmed on location along the beaches of Alang in Gujarat, India—the world’s largest ship-breaking hub—the 36-minute film documents how the industry is adapting one year after the formal entry into force of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Hong Kong Convention (HKC).
Inside Modern Ship Recycling
The documentary follows BIMCO Secretary General & CEO David Loosley and Regional Manager & Technical Advisor Ashok Srinivasan as they tour yards to inspect firsthand the shifts in safety protocols, waste containment, and worker conditions.
Long criticized by international watchdogs for hazardous working conditions and environmental degradation, Alang has undergone significant restructuring over the past decade. A substantial majority of its recycling yards have invested heavily in impervious concrete flooring, heavy-lift cranes, hazardous material handling facilities, and formalized labor standards to achieve HKC compliance.
Through interviews with yard operators, health and safety managers, migrant laborers, and maritime executives, “Breaking Better” highlights the gap between public perception and the reality of modernized dismantling operations.
“We wanted to look beyond the headlines and see what the reality on the ground looks like today,” noted the BIMCO delegation during the production. “The progress made in training, infrastructure, and hazardous waste management demonstrates that responsible beaching and sustainable end-of-life vessel management are achievable.”
A Turning Point for End-of-Life Shipping
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, adopted in 2009, established global standards for vessel design, operation, and recycling preparation—including mandatory Inventories of Hazardous Materials (IHM) and facility-specific recycling plans.
With the convention now fully enforceable globally, the film arrives at a pivotal moment for shipowners facing heightened ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scrutiny from financiers, charterers, and regulators.
Key themes explored in the film include:
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The Circular Economy: How millions of tons of scrap steel are re-rolled into structural materials for domestic infrastructure, sharply cutting emissions compared to primary steel production.
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Worker Welfare & Health Care: Investments in local safety training institutes, specialized PPE, mobile health units, and worker housing.
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Downstream Waste Management: The handling, tracking, and disposal of persistent pollutants such as asbestos, heavy metals, and oily sludge through dedicated municipal treatment storage facilities.
Global Call for Responsible Recycling
BIMCO—which represents shipowners, operators, and brokers controlling over 60% of the world’s merchant tonnage—aims to use “Breaking Better” to encourage transparent dialogue among international stakeholders, including the European Union, which maintains its own separate European Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR) approved yard list.
By highlighting the tangible advancements in Alang, BIMCO advocates for global recognition of compliant yards across South Asia to ensure adequate, high-standard capacity as an aging commercial fleet approaches retirement over the next decade.
“Breaking Better,” along with an accompanying trailer and educational resources on sustainable ship recycling, is available globally on BIMCO’s official website and media channels.
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