India Charts Future of Ship Recycling at Landmark HKC Workshop in Gujarat
Bhavnagar, Gujarat – June 30, 2025
India, the global leader in ship recycling, reaffirmed its commitment to safe, environmentally sound, and internationally compliant ship recycling practices through a landmark national workshop held in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, on June 30, 2025. This workshop marks a crucial moment in the nation’s journey towards full implementation of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), as the Convention officially enters into force worldwide this month.
Organised by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA), and the Institute of Marine Engineers India (IMEI), the workshop brought together stakeholders from across India’s ship recycling ecosystem, including yard operators, government officials, regulatory bodies, classification societies, and worker welfare representatives. The event served as a platform for awareness building, capacity development, showcasing best practices, and laying out a robust compliance roadmap for the industry under the new international regime.
A Pivotal Moment in India’s Maritime Environmental Governance
India made a significant stride towards maritime sustainability with the enactment of the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019, a legislation that aligns national policy with the Hong Kong Convention. With the HKC coming into force globally in June 2025—following ratification by Bangladesh and earlier by India, Norway, and Liberia—the global ship recycling landscape is undergoing a transformative shift. As the world’s largest ship recycling nation, India plays a decisive role in driving this change.
The Alang–Sosiya ship recycling cluster in Gujarat, home to one of the world’s most concentrated shipbreaking operations, has already emerged as a frontrunner in HKC compliance. Several yards are certified not only under the HKC but also the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR), which imposes even stricter safety and environmental norms.
Workshop Overview: Vision for Sustainable Ship Recycling
The one-day workshop, hosted in the strategic port city of Bhavnagar, was designed to address critical issues in the implementation of the HKC in India. Its agenda was structured around four key objectives:
1. General Awareness
The workshop aimed to enhance understanding among all stakeholders—yard operators, workers, regulators, and maritime authorities—about the benefits and responsibilities under the HKC. It underscored the convention’s role in improving worker safety, reducing environmental hazards, and promoting India’s image as a responsible ship recycling nation.
2. Capacity Building
Recognising that compliance requires more than legislation, the event focused on practical knowledge transfer. Through expert presentations and panel discussions, participants were guided on how to align operations with HKC protocols, manage hazardous materials, and ensure transparency and traceability.
3. Compliance Roadmap
A central theme of the workshop was charting a path for full HKC compliance. This involved dialogue on national implementation strategies, regulatory integration, monitoring mechanisms, and the harmonisation of HKC with the EUSRR and other global frameworks.
4. Best Practices Showcase
Presentations from industry leaders and classification societies showcased successful models of HKC-aligned operations at Alang. Topics covered included sustainable material recovery, documentation and inventory systems, worker health and safety protocols, and infrastructure upgrades.
High-Level Participation and Thought Leadership
The workshop opened with a traditional lighting of the lamp ceremony at 9:00 AM, followed by a welcome address by Shri Rajkumar Beniwal, IAS, Vice Chairman & CEO of GMB. He lauded the efforts of the ship recycling industry and reiterated the government’s support in helping India transition into a new era of regulated and sustainable ship recycling.
The keynote address was delivered by Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS, Director General of Shipping, who emphasised that India’s proactive adoption of HKC standards demonstrates the country’s leadership in global maritime environmental governance. “The future of shipping is sustainable only if the end-of-life management of vessels is safe, transparent, and accountable. India must lead by example,” he said.
Prominent dignitaries who felicitated the gathering included:
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Shri Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Chief Surveyor cum Additional Director General (Engineering), DGS
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Shri Vipul Singhal, IAS, Director (Ship Breaking Recycling), Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
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Shri Santhosh Kumar Darokar, Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Kandla
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Shri Vishnukumar Gupta, President, SRIA
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Shri David Birwadkar, Chairman, IME Mumbai Branch
Technical Sessions and Knowledge Sharing
A rich series of technical sessions followed, starting with a presentation by the Gujarat Maritime Board on the current status of ship recycling operations in Alang, infrastructure enhancements, and steps taken to ensure environmental and worker safety.
The SRIA delivered insights on material recovery processes, highlighting the economic and environmental potential of sustainable resource extraction from ships.
Classification societies—including Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), Lloyd’s Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK), and DNV—collectively presented on HKC implementation frameworks, yard assessment protocols, and pathways for Indian yards to obtain and maintain HKC and EU certifications.
A pivotal session on HKC compliance and EU preparedness revealed that over 90 ship recycling plots in Alang have either completed or are in advanced stages of certification. Stakeholders discussed the importance of digitisation, capacity enhancement, and environmental audits to maintain global competitiveness.
The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks by the GMB at 12:55 PM, followed by the National Anthem, symbolising unity and collective responsibility in ushering India’s ship recycling industry into a new era of global regulatory adherence.
Inclusive Participation: A Whole-of-Industry Approach
The workshop was notably inclusive, extending invitations to:
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State and Union Territory maritime authorities
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Environmental, labour, and industrial safety regulators
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Ship recycling yard operators
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Worker union representatives
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Classification societies
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Officials from the Directorate General of Shipping and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
This whole-of-industry approach ensured that the dialogue was comprehensive, collaborative, and forward-looking.
Contact points for further information included senior officials such as Shri Gopi Krishna (DGS), Capt. Rakesh Mishra (GMB), Shri Mehul Diwan (GMB), Shri Haresh Parmar (SRIA), and Shri Sanjeev Mehra (IMEI).
Looking Ahead: India’s Roadmap Under the HKC
As HKC comes into force, India’s commitment through the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019, and continued capacity-building efforts will be instrumental in shaping the global ship recycling sector. Key upcoming steps include:
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Further integration of HKC provisions in national compliance systems
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Expanding certification among remaining recycling yards
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Strengthening hazardous waste management systems
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Promoting research and innovation for sustainable dismantling technologies
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Enhancing social protection and healthcare for workers
India’s leadership at this critical juncture is set to influence not only regional standards—especially in South Asia—but also global discourse on circular economy and green transition in the maritime sector.
As the industry charts its course under the guiding framework of the Hong Kong Convention, the Bhavnagar workshop stands out as a milestone in uniting the government, industry, and civil society toward a shared vision: making ship recycling safe, sustainable, and globally compliant.
