New Delhi, August 11: India has reached its goal of becoming the leading nation in ship recycling five years ahead of the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 timeline. The country now holds over 35.4% of the global market share in this sector, according to a government fact sheet released on Tuesday.
The fact sheet highlights the consistent growth of India’s ship recycling sector in recent years. A recent report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) indicates that India ranked first in ship recycling globally in 2025. India’s share in global ship recycling increased from 30.1% in 2024 to 35.4% in 2025, marking a significant milestone in the country’s maritime and industrial development.
The volume of ship recycling in India also rose from 1.86 million gross tons (GT) in 2024 to 2.99 million GT in 2025, reflecting an approximate 60% increase. This growth showcases India’s expanding capacity and the increasing competitiveness of Indian ship recycling yards in the global market.
The fact sheet further states that the Alang-Sosiya ship recycling cluster in Gujarat is the backbone of India’s recycling capacity. Recognized as the world’s largest ship recycling hub, this cluster accounts for nearly 98% of India’s ship recycling activities, with an annual recycling capacity of about 6 million GT.
In Alang, approximately 3.50 million metric tons (MMT) of steel are produced annually without depleting natural resources. This is supported by authorized ship recycling yards, downstream steel re-rolling mills, and waste management infrastructure. The cluster has undergone extensive modernization in recent years and represents India’s primary interface with the global ship recycling market.
According to the fact sheet, India aims to nearly double its ship recycling capacity to around 9 million light displacement tons (LDT). This expansion will be achieved through the planned development of the Alang ship recycling yard. A comprehensive master plan has been prepared to meet future demand, focusing on infrastructure improvements and enhancing India’s competitiveness in the ship recycling market.
Additionally, the safety training and labor welfare institute at the Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yard has trained over 150,000 workers. The training includes occupational safety, hazardous materials management, and emergency response. Furthermore, India has another ship recycling yard in Kolkata at Amar Iron Industries and in Kerala at Steel Industrials Kerala Limited (SILK).
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