Two dozen ships help Alang sail again

Alang in Gujarat is swinging back to life.

Once world’s largest ship demolition centre, now a marginal player, Alang is slowly breathing life into itself, thanks to over two dozen junk ships that were beached recently for breaking, after an unusually long break. A ship-breaker from Alang said that Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is only providing beaching permissions, and that none have received breaking clearance. “At least 25 ships have come to Alang for demolition. However, confusion remains about their dismantling, after the supreme court came up with strict guidelines in October. Both GMB and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) are yet to begin strict implementation of the guidelines. While India has gone ahead with its own rules for safe ship breaking, International Maritime Organization (IMO) is close to finalizing set of guidelines.
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