Gandhinagar: An International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping is organized at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The conference has been organised by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Gujarat Maritime Board in coordination with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi, Gujarat is now moving towards port-led development. Gujarat is India’s coastal gateway. The state is home to Alang, the largest ship-breaking yard in the world. Just as Gujarat has been dominant in ship breaking-recycling sector, it will also be in green recycling. Gujarat has the potential and the political will to become a hub for green ship recycling. The Gujarat government is committed to making Gujarat a global centre for green recycling. Alang also has a well-developed ecosystem and capacity for vehicle scrapping and will contribute majorly to the vehicle scrapping policy,” Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel said,

In his address, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said that Gujarat is the business gateway of India and one of the world’s preferred maritime destinations.

“With a coastline of 1,600 km, Gujarat handles over 40% of India’s cargo throughput and contributes 18% of the total cargo transported using coastal shipping. Gujarat was the first state in India to privatise the port sector, and by virtue of its strategic location, proactive policies, and robust infrastructure has emerged as the flag bearer of India’s maritime success story. India is a leading destination for ship recycling and the planned doubling of capacity of Alang-Sosiya shipyard in Gujarat will create a large number of employment opportunities and bring in more economic prosperity to Gujarat and the country,” Mr. Sonowal said.

Taking about the Sagarmala Programme, he said it has given impetus to the thriving maritime sector in Gujarat with projects such as port modernisation, rail, road, cruise tourism, RO-RO & passenger jetties, fisheries, coastal infrastructure, skill development, etc.

“There are 74 projects worth Rs. 57,000 crore under Sagarmala Programme in Gujarat, of which 15 projects worth Rs. 9,000 crore have been completed, 33 projects worth over Rs. 25,000 crore are under implementation and 26 projects worth Rs. 22,700 crore are under development,” he said.

The International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping is showcasing the current status of ship recycling industry in Gujarat and the adoption of HKC Convention compliances. The conference is also facilitating discussion on how the EU shipping industry can take advantage of ship recycling facilities in Gujarat, and explore partnerships with EU member countries.

Highlighting the significance of the conference, MK Das, Additional Chief Secretary of Ports and Transport Department, Government of Gujarat, said, “The conference will put Alang on the global map as a preferred destination for sustainable ship recycling that has safe and environmentally sound ship recycling best practices in place. The conference will also help in exploring synergies between Alang’s ship recycling industry with the vehicle scrapping industry, and enable Alang to emerge as a vehicle scrapping hub.”

Two sessions were also organised as a part of the conference. The first session on “Ship Recycling Industry in India and Compliances” focused on the Ship Recycling Act, the role of GMB, compliance with HKC and EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR), and safe and sustainable recycling.

The second session was on Vehicle Scrap Policy and saw an overview of the policy. It also showcased Alang’s capabilities as a hub of vehicle scrapping.

Representatives from the Ministry of Ports & Shipping, CEOs, and national and international industry representatives from the shipping sector including shipping lines, ship recyclers, ship owners, etc. participated in the conference. The conference will be followed by a visit to the Alang ship breaking yard on September 13.

Mr. Sonowal also visited the site of proposed National Maritime Heritage Complex near Lothal and reviewed the progress of the project in presence of senior officers of Government of Gujarat and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The project is being developed by the Government of India through MoPSW for an estimated amount of Rs.3500 crore. The proposed Complex would showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage and will be the first of its kind in the country and one of the world’s largest maritime museums dedicated to the legacy of maritime heritage of India.

The project will boost the tourism in the state of Gujarat in turn developing the economy of the region including the nearby villages namely Saragwada and Utelia. The proposed six galleries planned in the NMHC project will focus on different time periods of the Maritime history to the visitors.

Speaking after the visit union Minister Shri. Sonowal stated that “the project will be developed as a new international destination for tourist and to stand at par with other renowned international museums of the world under the Sagarmala program of the Ministry of Shipping. It will also create an opportunity of employment for the local people and help them develop a number of cottage industries thus materializing the vison of Atmanirbhar Bharat of our Hon’ble PM Shri. Narendra Modiji.”

Earlier, in her welcome address, Ms. Geeta Goradia, Chairperson, FICCI Gujarat State Council, said global majors are now looking at India favourably as one of the major ship recycling destinations.

“We see tremendous growth in the recycling industry and the business growth contributing significantly to the country’s GDP. The secondary steel market is another big beneficiary of the ship recycling industry and approximately 10 percent of the country’s secondary steel needs, will now be met in an eco-friendly manner. The Voluntary Fleet Modernisation program launched by the Prime Minister in August last year and the selection of Gujarat as the model state for its implementation will push Gujarat to become a Vehicle Scrapping Hub. We are confident this conference will pave the way for Gujarat to emerge as a hub of green ship recycling and also take a lead in vehicle scrapping.”