Gujarat aims to recycle 15,000 ships at Alang in coming 10 years

Alang: At the opening of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, the Gujarat government unveiled an ambitious plan to recycle 15,000 ships at the Alang shipbreaking yard over the next decade. The announcement was made by Ramesh Chand Meena, Principal Secretary of the Ports and Transport Department, who said that the state is working to double Alang’s recycling capacity while ensuring compliance with strict environmental norms.

The target — dismantling around 1,500 ships every year — comes at a time when activity at Alang has been steadily declining. Back in 2011–12, the yard saw its peak with 415 ships dismantled in a single year. In stark contrast, only 113 ships were brought in for recycling during 2024–25, and just 44 ships have arrived so far in 2025 (till August).

According to a Businessline report, Alang currently has 150 ship recycling yards, but only 128 are operational. Even among these, shipbreakers say that barely 25–30% have ships to work on — the rest remain idle, awaiting business.

Despite the slowdown, the Gujarat government remains optimistic. Plans are underway to expand Alang’s overall recycling capacity from 4.5 million LDT to 9 million LDT, signaling the state’s intent to revive the shipbreaking industry and restore Alang’s position as the world’s leading ship recycling hub.