India commences implementation of the Hong Kong Convention from Alang: DG Shipping
ALANG : On June 30, 2025, Bhavnagar witnessed a landmark event — a high-level gathering of stakeholders as India officially stepped into the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) era of ship recycling.
The event took place at Alang — nerve centre of India’s ship recycling industry — just days after HKC came into global force on June 26, 2025. With over 115 yards already HKC-compliant, the focus is now shifting from volume to responsible, safe and sustainable ship recycling practices.
Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS, Director General Shipping, addressed the gathering and clearly laid out the road ahead. This isn’t just a treaty coming into effect. This is India showing that we’re prepared, we’re structured, and we intend to lead this space.
Felicitation address was provided by Shri Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Chief Surveyor cum Addl. Director General ( Engineering), Shri Vipul Singhal, IAS, Director SBR, MoPSW, Shri (Dr.) Manish Kumar, IAS, Collector and DM, Bhavnagar District, Shri Santosh Kumar Darokar, Principal Officer, MMD Kandla, Shri Vishnukumar Gupta, President SRIA & Shri David Birwadkar, Chairman IME Mumbai.
India currently handles over 30% of global ship recycling. Millions of tonnes of steel were recovered, significantly lowering the emissions compared to manufacturing of virgin steel. HKC compliance now opens access to higher-value ships across the globe which is a major opportunity for Indian yards.
Shri Gopikrishna C, Engineer & Ship Surveyor cum DDG(Tech) gave a presentation on the regulatory framework towards implementation of HKC . There were presentations from Classification societies IRS,LR & NKK, besides presentations from SRIA and the leading ship recycling yards of Alang.
Presentations were covering the following:
Legal framework — Act, Rules and upcoming regulations
Material recovery from ship recycling
Readiness for HKC Implementation of yards in Alang & Implementation roadmap — audits, training, digital systems, enforcement,
Role of all agencies involved — MoPSW, DGS, GMB, SRIA, government agencies and stakeholders.
Targets ahead :
100% HKC compliance
Digitalization of the process of inspection and certification
Awareness and outreach
Showcasing India as the future destination for green ship recycling