European Shipowners Call For Inclusion Of Indian Ship Recycling Facilities Under EU Rules

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) has urged European Parliament (MEPs) members to approve the inclusion of two Indian ship recycling facilities on the official European List of Ship Recycling Facilities.

The appeal comes as a vote is scheduled for November 4 in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, where lawmakers will consider a motion for a resolution objecting to the European Commission’s proposal.

The European Commission had first proposed to include the two indian facilities on the list in July 2026, after conducting extensive inspections, which confirmed that both yards complied with the strict environmental and safety criteria under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR).

The move was appreciated by many, and led to a joint industry statement last month and an open letter to EU Ministers asking for adoption of the updated list at the earliest.

ECSA has said that including facilities that are outside the bloc physically is necessary, given the current situation.

According to the latest data from the International Shipping Association BIMCO, roughly 16,000 vessels will need to be recycled in the next decade, and EU facilities cannot handle this number alone.

BIMCO findings also reveal that European ship recycling yards are mainly focused on local and small offshore markets.

Additionally, the majority of Europe’s new maritime investments are going to offshore decommissioning, which promises higher profits than ship breaking.

Hence, European yards lack the space, labour and equipment needed to tackle ocean-going vessels. If they do accept large ships, owners have to be ready for backlogs and waiting times.

ECSA thus emphasises that recognising yards which are compliant with the set standards, even though they are not located in Europe, is vital for the industry and ensuring that green ship recycling can go ahead without bottlenecks.

The two Indian ship recycling yards are situated in the Alang-Sosiya Ship-Breaking Hub in the state of Gujarat, and are called YSI Recycling Services LLP and Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Pvt. Ltd.