Gandhinagar To Get National Authority of Ship Recycling
Ahmedabad: A National Authority of Ship Recycling will be set up at Gandhinagar to overlook activities related to ship recycling, in a move that may dent the hold of the state-controlled Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) over Alang, which accounts for over 95 per cent of the total ships recycled in India.
The decision came after the central government notified the Director General of Shipping as the National Authority for Recycling of Ships under Section 3 of the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019, stated an official release from the Press Information Bureau on Thursday.
DG Shipping will be the final authority for various approvals, required by the ship recycling yard owners and the state governments. As an apex body, DG shipping is authorised to administer, supervise and monitor all activities related to ship recycling.
DG Shipping will look after sustainable development of ship recycling industry, monitoring the compliance to environment-friendly norms and safety and health measures for stakeholders working in the ship recycling industry, the release added.
Last year, the Parliament had passed The Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 which talked about setting up of a national authority that will monitor all activities related to ship recycling.
“Our role will remain the same. However, we have to report for all compliance to the national authority, which will be dealing directly with the IMO (International Maritime Organisation). GMB will continue to auction and renew the plots at Alang, and handle common facilities like hazardous wastes treatment plant, hospital, etc,” said a senior official of GMB.
The official, who is also member of a committee of DG shipping, which is drafting the regulations for the ship recycling, said, “Our duties will remain the same, but it will be monitored by the national authority with regard to compliance, audits, accident investigations and other issues.”
