The Indian government has begun enforcing key provisions of the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019, marking a significant regulatory shift as the country aligns its ship recycling regime with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), officials said.
With the Hong Kong Convention coming into force globally earlier this year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has notified several binding provisions of the 2019 Act effective this week, laying the groundwork for stricter environmental and worker safety norms in ship recycling. These measures were earlier kept in abeyance pending adoption of the HKC.
The notified provisions include mandatory inventories of hazardous materials on vessels and their components, and empower government officials (joint secretary level and above) to conduct compliance surveys and issue certifications. The provisions are designed to align domestic law fully with international standards and give India a competitive edge in global ship recycling markets, a senior official said.
Officials said the government will soon release detailed regulations to further regulate vessel recycling for environmental protection and worker safety, which will supplement the notified provisions. The industry has been preparing for these changes for some time, with outreach to existing yards on compliance requirements.
About 90 % of Indian ship recycling yards are already compliant with HKC standards, meaning they are well-positioned to benefit from the new rules once finalized, the official added. South Asia, including India and Bangladesh, is emerging as a key global hub for ship recycling and dismantling under the new international framework.
However, the sector still faces challenges. Ship recycling can pose environmental and safety risks due to hazardous materials such as asbestos, heavy metals and hydrocarbons found in end-of-life vessels, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The updated Indian rules propose rigorous pre- and post-recycling checks to mitigate these risks and protect workers.
Experts say the new regime will raise operating costs for recycling yards, but this may be offset by greater acceptance by global ship owners and a potential increase in market share for compliant Indian facilities. Survey requirements will include initial, periodic and final inspections before recycling, and yards must submit recycling plans tailored to each ship’s inventory and particulars.
To fully realize its ambition of becoming a green ship recycling hub, India will also need to phase out environmentally harmful practices such as the traditional beaching method and promote more sustainable alternatives like dry docking, analysts said.
