- The Central government has notified the directorate general of shipping as the National authority for recycling of ships.
- The notification was issued under the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019.
- It will be an apex body authorized to administer, supervise and monitor all activities relating to ship recycling in the country.
- It will also be the final authority for the various approvals required by the ship-recycling yard owners and state governments.
- India is the largest ship-breaking player in the world.
- India is recycling around 70 lakh gross tonnages every year, followed by Bangladesh, Pakistan and China.
- With the enactment of Ship Recycling Act 2019, India has complied with Hong Kong Convention for Ship Recycling.
Convention on Ship Recycling
- International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships in 2009.
- But the Convention is yet to come into force because it has not been ratified by 15 nations.