A European Parliament committee has objected to the European Commission’s plan to add two ship recycling yards in Alang, India, to the EU’s list of approved ship recycling facilities. Baird Maritime reported the decision on 6 November 2026.
The Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) voted on 4 November. The objection passed by 48 votes to 26, with five abstentions.
Two Alang yards in question
- The two facilities are Shree Ram Vessel Scrap and YSI Recyclers, both at Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat.
- Both dismantle end-of-life ships by beaching them on tidal mudflats.
- The committee’s motion urges the Commission to withdraw its draft implementing decision for the 16th edition of the European List of ship recycling facilities. It asks for a new list without the two yards, arguing that they fall short of the EU’s requirements for ship recycling and downstream waste management.
Shipowners back the listing
European Shipowners (ECSA) supports adding the two yards. In an October position paper, the association said individual assessments and inspections had established that the yards comply with EU requirements.
ECSA also argues that recycling facilities in Europe mainly serve local and offshore markets. It says they lack the space and workflows to handle large ocean-going merchant ships at scale.
Why the EU list matters
Since 31 December 2018, EU-flagged ships covered by the EU Ship Recycling Regulation must be recycled at facilities on the European List. Listed facilities can be located inside or outside the EU. The report did not give a timetable for the Commission’s next step.
The debate is closely watched across South Asia’s ship recycling industry, including Bangladesh’s yards at Sitakunda in Chattogram, where beaching is also the main recycling method.
Source: Baird Maritime, 6 November 2026. Photo: file image of a ship at the Alang ship breaking yard; not necessarily one of the yards named.
