<div _ngcontent-ng-c1232793157="" class="container"><message-content _ngcontent-ng-c1232793157="" _nghost-ng-c2336005017="" id="message-content-id-r_0a5a8e4c0fa76d91" class="ng-star-inserted"><div _ngcontent-ng-c2336005017="" inline-copy-host="" class="markdown markdown-main-panel tutor-markdown-rendering enable-luminous-fast-follows stronger enable-updated-hr-color" id="model-response-message-contentr_0a5a8e4c0fa76d91" aria-live="off" aria-busy="false" dir="ltr" style="--animation-duration: 400ms; --fade-animation-function: ease-out;"><p data-path-to-node="3"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0">NEW DELHI</b> — In a major historic milestone for the domestic maritime industry, India has officially consolidated its position as the world's leading ship recycling nation, capturing an impressive 35.4% of the total global market share. The landmark achievement, highlighted in the newly published report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), underscores a massive structural climb from the country's previous baseline of 30.1%.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">Following the report's release, senior officials at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways formally confirmed that India has surpassed the core recycling targets outlined in its ambitious Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 framework well ahead of schedule. The strategic shift is primarily attributed to a comprehensive, decade-long modernization push aimed at upgrading coastal demolition infrastructure and transitioning standard beaching yards into environmentally certified industrial operations.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">Central to this success has been the widespread adoption of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. Under rigorous government oversight, the vast majority of ship-breaking plots located in Alang, Gujarat—the largest ship recycling cluster in the world—have achieved Statement of Compliance (SoC) certifications. This stringent regulatory alignment has successfully removed long-standing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) barriers, unlocking a flood of high-tonnage vessel decommissioning contracts from premium European and East Asian shipowners who previously bypassed South Asian yards due to safety concerns.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">Beyond environmental sustainability, the ministry noted that the expanding recycling ecosystem provides massive domestic benefits. The circular maritime economy now accounts for a significant portion of India's secondary steel production, extracting millions of tons of scrap metal annually from retired hulls, thereby reducing raw iron ore import dependencies.</p><p data-path-to-node="7">Industry analysts emphasize that India's current 35.4% global dominance establishes a highly competitive benchmark that will shape international fleet renewal cycles over the next decade. As strict global carbon intensity indicators (CII) push container liners, dry bulk companies, and energy tanker fleets to phase out older, less efficient hulls post-2026, the subcontinent stands uniquely positioned as the world's premier, compliant gateway for large-scale maritime decommissioning.</p></div></message-content><!----></div>