Govt looks at expanding use of steel from ship recycling

New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) A joint meeting was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on expanding the usage of steel obtained from recycling of ships. 

"The discussions were held focusing on expanding the application of recycled ship steel to additional sectors, with a view to enhancing value generation from ship recycling and reinforcing India’s position as the world’s leading ship recycling hub," an official statement said.

The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), and the Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA), to examine the existing regulatory framework and explore avenues for usage of secondary steel obtained from ship recycling.

The meeting underscored the government’s commitment to promote circular economy practices, support domestic steel manufacturing, and ensure that India’s ship recycling industry continues to set global benchmarks in sustainability and efficiency, the statement said.

Ship recycling holds strategic importance for India across environmental, economic, and industrial dimensions.

From a resource perspective, ship recycling contributes significantly to domestic availability of ferrous scrap, reducing dependence on imported raw materials and strengthening supply security for steel and allied industries. Recycled steel requires substantially lower energy compared to primary steel production and results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, directly supporting India’s sustainability and decarbonisation objectives.

Economically, the sector generates large-scale employment and sustains a wide ecosystem of ancillary industries including transport, re-rolling mills, equipment suppliers and waste management services. Ship recycling also complements national initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat by linking end-of-life ship management with domestic manufacturing and industrial growth.

Environmentally, regulated ship recycling prevents unsafe disposal of end-of-life ships, mitigates marine and coastal pollution risks and ensures responsible handling of hazardous materials under strict regulatory supervision.

India is among the leading ship recycling nations globally. The Alang-Sosiya ship recycling cluster in Gujarat forms the backbone of the country’s recycling capacity and is the largest ship recycling hub in the world. The cluster accounts for approximately 97 per cent of India’s ship recycling activity, making it the central pillar of the national ship recycling ecosystem.

--IANS

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