NGO Shipbreaking Platform Reports on 2025 and Calls for More Regulation
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform compiled a report on the ships sold for dismantling in 2025 while calling for continued efforts to improve the industry’s adherence to safety and environmental regulations. The group highlights that despite the Hong Kong Convention coming into effect at mid-year, there was little improvement in the performance of the shipbreakers.
The listing shows a total of 321 vessels were dismantled in 2025. The overall number remains low as most segments of commercial shipping have extended the life of vessels, in part due to demand and waiting for environmental regulations to be solidified. NGO Shipbreaking expressed concern that, as the backlog of older ships starts to move to dismantling, the safety and environmental issues will be further exacerbated unless steps are taken now.
It highlights that 85 percent of the ships sold for dismantling in 2025 went to South Asia. A total of 214 ships, with Bangladesh and India remaining as the leading destinations, along with Pakistan. More than 6 million gross tons were sent to the three countries. By comparison, 49 ships went to Turkey (under 700,000 GT), 44 ships in other parts of the world, and only 14 ships were dismantled in the EU.
The global total in 2025 was just 321 ships, according to NGO Shipbreaking Platform. This is down from over 400 ships in each of the three prior years, and a peak of over 1,000 ships per year a decade ago.
Bangladesh, the group highlights, has already approved 17 yards under the Hong Kong Convention. The NGO, however, highlights that despite more than 100 shipbreaking plots in India around Alang, none so far have been authorized under the convention.
The convention seeks to improve the safety and environmental record of the industry by requiring specific ship recycling plans that consider the listing of hazardous materials that each ship is required to maintain. The yards also need to have safety and environmental plans. The convention applies to all ships over 500 GT sold by companies in any of the states having adopted the convention.
NGO Shipbreaking reports the safety concerns continued in 2025, with a total of 11 workers losing their lives. Despite lax and opaque reporting, it believes that another 62 workers were injured at the yards in South Asia.
Among the worst incidents reported in 2025, NGO Shipbreaking highlights the explosion on an oil tanker being dismantled in Bangladesh. Eight workers were injured in the explosion.
The group highlights that there are discussions at the International Maritime Organization about enhancing the requirements of the convention and updating the standards, which were drafted more than a decade ago. IMO states first adopted the Hong Kong Convention in 2009, but it took till 2023 to reach the threshold for it to go into force in 2025.
Ingvild Jenssen, Executive Director and Founder of NGO Shipbreaking Platform, emphasizes that the IMO must take action to phase out the beaching method for dismantling ships.
“At the same time, better enforcement of the Basel Convention’s restrictions on hazardous waste trade need to be ensured through measures that effectively hold the shipping industry accountable. This entails shifting responsibility to the states that actually have control over the owners of assets intended for disposal,” said Jenssen.
As the backlog of old ships breaks, the group points to the potential of hundreds of tankers being sold for dismantling, including ships from the so-called shadow fleet. It is concerned that these ships, which skirt regulations, will continue to do so with the owners seeking cash, crypto, and foreign currency deals to avoid sanctions.
NGO Shipbreaking calculates that China is one of the key sources of ships heading to South Asian shipbreakers. Last year, it reports China sent 21 vessels, with most going to Bangladesh. South Korea (19 ships) and the UAE (17 ships), it says, were also sending ships to the South Asia yards. The group points out that this is despite the UAE Ship Recycling Regulation, which went into force in June 2025, which prohibits ships from leaving the UAE territorial waters for beach scrapping and landing yards.
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It also highlights that Europeans continue to use the yards in South Asia, often skirting the regulations. NGO Shipbreaking notes that Turkey is one of the few non-EU destinations that can receive WEU-flagged end-of-life-vessels, but notes that its sector is coming under mounting scrutiny. It notes the growing opposition to the industry at Allaga and the growing pressure for the EU to withdraw approvals for the yards.
Next year marks 20 years since the group was founded. It continues to follow its mission to reverse the environmental and human rights abuses of current shipbreaking practices and to ensure the safe and environmentally sound dismantling of end-of-life ships worldwide.