Deep Water Recovery vs. Alang: What Ship Owners Must Know About HKC-Compliant Recycling

In this GMS Podcast episode, host Ingrid sits down with Dr. Anand Hiremath, CEO of the Sustainable Ship and Offshore Recycling Program (SSORP), to examine two sharply different approaches to ship recycling and what they mean for ship owners worldwide.

The conversation starts with Canada’s Deep Water Recovery case in British Columbia, where regulators found repeated toxic discharges of heavy metals such as copper and lead, weak pollution controls, and long legal disputes. This case illustrates the environmental and business risks of recycling a vessel without strong oversight and clear waste-handling systems.

Dr. Anand then takes listeners to Alang, India, where more than one hundred ship recycling yards are certified under the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) and many also meet EU Ship Recycling Regulation standards.

Key insights include:

• How HKC yards build a Ship Recycling Plan from a detailed Inventory of Hazardous Materials before a vessel arrives.

• Use of impermeable flooring and closed drainage to capture and treat oil, paint scrapings and wash water, preventing ocean contamination.

• Worker training and ISO 45001 safety systems, with protective equipment, insurance and family health coverage.

• Independent audits by ClassNK, Lloyd’s Register and other IACS members, ensuring constant compliance instead of slow court battles.

• Circular economy benefits: re-rolling 75 percent of hull steel cuts energy use by about 58 percent and avoids around 1.6 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of steel compared with melting in European dry docks.

• Regulated removal and off-site treatment of hazardous waste such as asbestos.

Dr. Anand explains why HKC-compliant beaching in Alang can match or exceed dry-dock recycling in environmental performance, while offering the scale and steel reuse rates global shipping needs.

For ship owners, cash buyers and maritime professionals, this episode provides practical guidance on choosing a ship recycling destination that is verifiably safe, cost-effective and climate-friendly.

Subscribe to the GMS Podcast and follow GMS on LinkedIn for future updates and discussions.