Alang: The Alang shipbreaking yards moved to the centre of an EU environmental dispute on 4 November 2026, when the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment objected to a Commission draft decision that would add two Indian yards to the EU list of ship recycling facilities. The motion passed with 48 votes in favour, 26 against and 5 abstentions.
The two yards, Shree Ram and YSI Recyclers, operate on Indian beaches at Alang. The Commission proposes to approve them for the European list, which determines where ships flying an EU flag may be dismantled. Greens/EFA, S&D, Renew Europe and The Left tabled the objection, which shows that support for it reached across several political groups.
The MEPs argue that the yards fail several requirements of Regulation 1257/2013 on ship recycling. They say that breaking ships in the intertidal zone does not adequately prevent pollutants from leaking into the sea and the shore, and that it does not ensure safe management of hazardous waste. Inspections have found high levels of heavy metals, and the compliance of several waste treatment facilities has not been verified.
Their warning is legal as well as environmental. In their view, adding the Alang shipbreaking yards to the list could itself breach the regulation, because the rules require facilities to meet specific standards before they qualify. A listing that skips that test would expose the Commission to challenge.
The committee asks the Commission to submit a revised text that excludes these facilities. The plenary now has to vote on the objection, and the date is expected shortly. If Parliament confirms the committee’s position, the Commission will have to rework its draft decision before any approval can take effect.
The case matters beyond the two yards. The EU list exists to steer ship owners towards sites that protect workers and the environment, and critics fear that an approval of beach-based facilities would weaken the standard. Defenders of the draft would argue that bringing more yards into the system gives the EU leverage to demand improvements.
Shipowners are watching closely because the choice of yard affects costs. Breaking ships on a beach is cheaper than dismantling them in a dock with heavy containment, and the price gap explains the commercial pull of the Alang shipbreaking yards. Environmental groups argue that the EU list should not reward that price advantage when workers and coastal ecosystems carry the risk. Campaigners will keep citing the Alang shipbreaking yards as a test case for the EU list.
The vote will therefore test how strictly Parliament wants the Commission to read Regulation 1257/2013. For shipping companies and recycling operators alike, the outcome will signal whether the Alang shipbreaking yards can enter the European system under their current practices.
