Indian Giant-Priya Blue Group, joins with ASRY in Bahrain to create Middle East’s biggest ship recycling yard

BAHRAIN : Priya Blue Group, one of South Asia’s largest green ship recyclers, is joining forces with Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (ASRY) to create the Middle East’s biggest ship recycling yard.

The Bahrain-based shipyard and Indian ship recycler launched a joint venture this week establishing a “world-class facility” for compliant and environmentally responsible recycling.

It will tap into ASRY’s shipyard facilities to allow operations to be performed using dry dock, slipway and alongside methods, able to handle vessels up to ULCC size, as well as receive rigs and offshore structures directly onto berth.

In addition to conventional vessels, the joint venture is positioning itself to support the recycling of complex offshore assets including floating production, storage and offloading vessels, floating storage and offloading units, rigs and offshore structures.

Priya Blue affiliated cash buyer Best Oasis will help source tonnage and manage the commercial acquisition of vessels brought to the Bahrain facility.

The first vessel to be recycled by the joint venture recently arrived at the ASRY yard, although its identity was not disclosed.

The facility incorporates ship recycling, environmental protection and hazardous waste management systems.

The partnership will develop integrated solutions covering recycling operations, safety and environmental management, compliance documentation, hazardous waste management, dry dock and slipway access, heavy lifting infrastructure and regulatory support within Bahrain.

ASRY already holds licences to recycle vessels containing hazardous materials originating from production fluids. This covers the handling, storage, treatment, export and disposal of naturally occurring radioactive material waste, a key challenge in recycling offshore assets and production facilities.

The shipyard made its first major move into ship recycling in early 2023 when it handled several Wan Hai Lines container ships in alignment with the principles of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation.

Chief executive Dr Ahmed Al Abri said ASRY has successfully delivered complex repair and maintenance operations for some of the world’s most demanding vessels over the past five decades.

“Partnering with Priya Blue to bring best practices in ship recycling to the Kingdom of Bahrain represents a strategic extension of ASRY’s journey and evolution,” he said.

This is the first time an Indian ship recycler has established itself as a global player with operations in facilities outside of South Asia.

Priya Blue Chairman Sanjay Mehta told TradeWinds: “We have recycled over a hundred complex vessels at Alang.

“We know what compliant, responsible ship recycling looks like — and what it takes to deliver it consistently.

“Bahrain is not an experiment. It is a deliberate expansion of a proven operation.”

Source : TradeWinds