India Reviews Use Of Ship-Recycled Steel To Boost Domestic Production

India is looking at ways to use steel recovered from old ships in more industries as it seeks to support domestic steel production and get more value from ship recycling.

The government reviewed the issue on Wednesday, according to an official statement.

Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal jointly chaired the meeting. They discussed the use of steel recovered from ships and how it could be used in more sectors.

The meeting also looked at the current rules covering the use of recycled ship steel.

Officials and industry representatives from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA) attended the meeting.

The group discussed possible uses for secondary steel recovered from ships and ways to expand its use.

The government said the move could increase the value generated from ship recycling and strengthen India’s position as the world’s leading ship recycling hub.

Ship recycling provides India with ferrous scrap that can be used by steel and other industries.

This can reduce the need for imported raw materials and help maintain the supply of materials for domestic steel production and related industries.

Recycled steel also needs substantially less energy to produce than primary steel. It also produces lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The government said this supports India’s sustainability and decarbonisation goals.

The ship recycling industry also provides large-scale employment. It supports businesses involved in transport, re-rolling mills, equipment supplies and waste management.

The government said the industry also supports initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat by linking the recycling of old ships with domestic manufacturing and industrial activity.

Ship recycling also has an environmental role. Regulated recycling helps prevent unsafe disposal of old ships and reduces the risk of marine and coastal pollution.

It also allows hazardous materials from ships to be handled under regulatory supervision.

India is one of the world’s leading ship recycling countries.

The Alang-Sosiya ship recycling cluster in Gujarat is the main centre of India’s ship recycling industry. It is the world’s largest ship recycling hub and accounts for about 97% of India’s ship recycling activity, according to the government material.

References: cnbctv18, economictimes