EU Shipowners Back Alang Yards for Official Green Recycling List
Move to ease bottlenecks as 16,000 ocean-going vessels head for scrap heap over next decade
Shipping Inbox Network : Bhavnagar / Dubai : In a major boost to India’s maritime ambitions, European shipowners have strongly urged the European Parliament to approve the inclusion of two Indian ship-recycling facilities from Gujarat’s Alang-Sosiya coast into the European Union’s official roster of approved green yards.
The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) has called on Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to clear the European Commission’s proposal, warning that a failure to recognise compliant non-European facilities will choke sustainable ship recycling worldwide.
The two yards under consideration—YSI Recycling Services LLP and Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Pvt. Ltd.—underwent rigorous, multi-stage inspections by European authorities and were found fully compliant with the stringent environmental and worker safety standards mandated under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR).
Severe Capacity Crunch in Europe
The push comes amid growing operational pressure on European fleet operators. Under existing EU rules, vessels flying an EU member state’s flag must be dismantled exclusively at yards approved on the European List. However, shipyards across Europe currently lack the technical setup and physical capacity to scrap large ocean-going vessels.
According to data from global shipping association BIMCO, an estimated 16,000 vessels will reach the end of their operational lifespans over the next decade. European recycling yards remain largely small-scale and regional, shifting capital away from commercial ship dismantling toward offshore oil and gas decommissioning, which offers significantly higher margins.
Without access to proven high-capacity yards outside the bloc, European shipowners face crippling queues, lengthy backlogs, and soaring compliance costs.
Rewarding Alang’s Green Upgrade
ECSA emphasised that dismissing facilities that have upgraded their infrastructure to meet strict EU criteria would undermine the credibility of Brussels’ own environmental framework.
“The inclusion of the two Indian yards in the EU list is a long-awaited and very welcome step, which rewards investments made to meet EU standards,” noted Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of ECSA. He cautioned that objecting to compliant yards simply due to geography would impede global decarbonisation and circular economy goals.
For Alang—traditionally viewed as the world’s ship-breaking capital—official EU accreditation marks a decisive pivot toward sustainable, high-value operations. Indian yards have invested heavily in recent years to build impermeable concrete cutting beds, specialized effluent treatment plants, heavy crane infrastructure, and upgraded housing and healthcare amenities for dockworkers.
If formally ratified by the European Parliament, the decision will open the doors for European-flagged merchant tonnage to anchor at Alang legally, cementing India’s standing as a frontline destination for responsible maritime recycling.
Author: shipping inbox
shipping and maritime related web portal
