Recycling of Ships Act 2019: challenges and opportunities for ship recycling industry in India

The Recycling of Ships Act 2019 (RSA 2019) was inspired by the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships 2009, and it aimed at setting standards for ship recycling and laying down a statutory mechanism for enforcing such standards. This paper discusses the relevance and the contextual factors that led to the formulation of the RSA 2019. The RSA has invited sharp criticism, stressing the need to make appropriate amendments to the Act to ensure a safe and sound recycling environment and safeguard the health of recycling workers. An analysis of the recent trends in the ship recycling market has been carried out in light of implementing the RSA. The long-term sustainability of the ship recycling operations requires the formation of a collective association of the recycling nations in South Asia, even though each nation may adopt independent regulations of its own.