India emerges as world's top ship-recycling nation in 2025

Business To Business, New Delhi, 22^nd June, 2026:  India has emerged as the world's leading ship-recycling nation, achieving a key target under the country's maritime development strategy years ahead of schedule.
According to an official statement citing the latest report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India's share of global ship recycling increased to 35.4% in 2025, up from 30.1% in 2024.
Strong Growth in Recycling Activity
The report noted that ship recycling in India rose sharply to 2.99 million gross tonnes (GT) in 2025, compared with 1.86 million GT in 2024—an increase of nearly 60%.
This growth has enabled India to surpass other major ship-recycling countries and become the largest player in the sector globally.
Maritime India Vision Target Achieved Early
The achievement means that a major objective of Maritime India Vision 2030—to make India the world's leading ship-recycling destination—has been realized well before the 2030 deadline.
Significance for the Maritime Sector
Ship recycling plays an important role in:

• Recovering steel and other reusable materials
• Supporting circular-economy practices
• Generating employment in coastal regions
• Reducing dependence on imported scrap metal
• Strengthening maritime infrastructure and services