NGO Says EU Approval of Indian Scrappers Would Set a Double Standard
The European Commission’s proposal to include two Indian ship recyclers for the first time on the approved list of yards available to the industry is sparking a renewed debate over the handling of end-of-life ships. The NGO Shpbreakingplatform, which has long been a vocal critic of the South Asian yards, is calling on the Europeans to remove the two Indian yards from the proposed list to ensure consistency and to meet the long-standing environmental obligations, while the European Shipowners’ association welcomed the news.
The EC is seeking public comments on its proposed 16th update of the approved list of ship recycling facilities. The NGO highlights that while a Turkish yard is being removed for “recurring deficiencies,” the draft, however, includes two yards located in Alang, India. The NGO emphasizes that yards in India continue to beach ships on the mudflats, and while the practice is not per se explicitly prohibited in the EU Ship Recycling Regulations (SRR), they assert it is not environmentally sound.
“Their inclusion on the EU List will set a chilling double standard and seriously undermine the EU’s own ship recycling sector,” said Ingvild Jenssen, Executive Director and Founder of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, addressing the proposed inclusion of the two Indian facilities.
The NGO notes that the EU does not allow the beaching of vessels on mudflats. It says the practice poses a serious risk to coastal ecosystems, workers, and supporting communities. As an example, it cites a recent heavy fuel spill in June 2026 at one Indian yard. It says the spill was visible for 10 kilometers (more than six miles) from the yard. The group asserts, “The incident demonstrates fundamental inabilities to contain pollutants when dismantling occurs on tidal mudflats.”
The NGO asserts that including the Indian yards “raises serious concerns on the future direction of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.” It further highlights the inconsistencies, noting that the EU and its member states are signatories to the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste, a category that includes end-of-life ships.
“The standards of the EU SRR cannot change based on the location. Every yard on the EU List should be subject to the same rules and procedures. If not, compliant yards in the EU will continue to face unfair competition,” says Jenssen.
The European Shipowners Association (ECSA), however, issued a statement welcoming the proposal to include two Indian yards on the updated list. The shipowners’ association has been advocating for the inclusion of compliant Indian yards. Beyond the practical significance, it asserts that the inclusion is a strong political signal and incentive showing that non-OECD yards that meet the standards can gain recognition.
“This is a long-awaited and very welcome step, which rewards the investments these yards have made to meet EU standards,” said Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of European Shipowners (ECSA). “Addressing the capacity challenge is essential if the European List is to work as an incentive for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling worldwide.”
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With Asian yards excluded from the EU’s list, shipowners have been limited to yards in Turkey or smaller facilities mostly in Europe. One yard in the United States also achieved EU recognition. Cash buyers have been known to take ships from EU member states to neutral third countries, where they state they have a buyer or are seeking buyers, with claims that these are just distractions and waypoints before going to the Asian scrapyards.
India has made strong efforts to support the development of its ship recycling industry. It recently used data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to highlight that India ranked first globally in ship recycling in 2025 based on tonnage. Further, it reiterated that India ratified the IMO’s Hong Kong Convention (HKC) in 2019, which addresses safety and environmental concerns in the industry. India states that after the upgrades, a total of 115 facilities have become HKC-compliant. The government is providing further financial support to upgrade the operations of the recycling industry.
