A few weeks before the publication by the European Commission of the update of the list of authorized demolition sites, now located in Europe and Turkey, shipping companies justify its extension to India due to the shortage of recycling capacity.
On the west coast of India, the Alang shipyards stretch for about ten kilometers. Hundreds of men debone giant ships on the sand, sometimes with their bare hands, at temperatures exceeding 40 °C in summer. Each ton of steel brings in more money there than in Europe due to lower labor costs and lower strict safety or environmental requirements. The ton of steel is bought between 100 and 150 euros on European construction sites, between 200 and 250 euros in Turkey and about 400 euros in India.
It is in two Indian shipyards in Alang, Shree Ram Vessel Scrap and YSI Recyclers, that shipowners, including the French CMA CGM, wish to send their ships at the end of their life. The European Union (EU) only allows the demolition of ships, registered under its flag, in a limited number of sites in Europe and Turkey that undertake to respect very strict environmental specifications. These sites are regularly inspected. Brussels proposes to add, for the first time, two Indian shipyards to its list.
