The European Shipowners' Association ECSA and World Shipping Council (WSC), the international association representing the liner shipping sector, announced that the proposal of the European Commission for the sixteenth edition of the European List of Ship Recycling Facilities, includes, For the first time, two Indian shipyards.

Recalling that European shipowners are fighting for inclusion of Indian shipyards that comply with European standards since entry into into force at the end of 2013 of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation, the Secretary General of European Shipowners - ECSA, Sotiris Raptis, highlighted that this is "a long-awaited step and which rewards the investments made by these construction sites to comply with EU standards. Now - he added - We count on policymakers to finalise and adopt the list quickly, so that the two plants can be approved without further delay, and we hope to see in more non-OECD compliant shipyards will enter the be part of the list. Addressing the Challenge of Capacity - Raptis also specified - is essential for The European List acts as an incentive for ship recycling safe and environmentally friendly all over the world.

Welcoming the updating of the list proposed by the European Commission, the Vice-President for Environment and Climate of the World Shipping Council (WSC), Simon Bergulf, said that the 'reflects an approach to ship recycling practical and performance-based sustainable environment" and, referring to the to the two Indian ship recycling yards included in the list proposed, underlined that "these construction sites have invested substantial resources to follow up on critical issues and recommendations from the European Commission's inspections, demonstrating a clear commitment to the rigorous standards of the EU. Their inclusion - Bergulf noted - would represent an important milestone, demonstrating that one of the main regions in the world for ship recycling can comply requirements of the EU Recycling Regulation ships. We hope that these plants will act as a trailblazer, encouraging other shipyards in the region to follow the same path". In addition, Bergulf recalled that currently, "For large ocean-going vessels, there are only a limited number of plants worldwide with the capabilities and resources necessary to carry out this work" and highlighted that 'The Commission proposal contributes to increasing the availability of approved recycling capacity, while maintaining the high standards that the Regulation proposes to achieve".