- Ship recycling yards reopen after almost a month-long lockdown.
- Strict advise from government to follow thermal screening, social distancing, and handwashing at regular intervals.
- All workers to work with adequate personal protective equipment.
- If any suspected infection, the worker will be handed over to Gujarat Maritime Board’s quarantine facilities.
Inderpreet Walia, for Lloyd’s List writes extensively about the resume of operation in Alang, Gujarat, one of the world’s largest shipping breaking industry. She also elaborates on the present of the world market in ship breaking sector.
GMS chief executive Anil Sharma believes social distancing can be easily maintained by workers while torching ships because there is always a safe distance when they work on a ship, with all of them performing different tasks.
“Reopening will take place in a slow and methodical manner, and only once it is absolutely safe to do so,” cash buyer GMS said.
No cases of virus in Alang
There are no cases of the virus reported in Alang in India — a major worldwide centre for ship breaking — so far.
Steel plates will stockpiled
Meanwhile, GMS said the resumption of work at the Alang ship recycling yards is expected to mean steel plates are stockpiled because the majority of plates are transported to different nations, which have currently sealed their borders.
A different scenario the industry has never handled
It is the first time in history that all recycling locations were closed for the foreseeable future, stifling scrap prices in the run up to Ramadan.
A backlog of vessels continues to idle outside all subcontinent locations, with contracts and cancelling dates being frustrated by this unprecedented crisis.
The monsoon season and the start of the holy month of Ramadan will further dampens demolition activity in the Indian subcontinent.
Activities in Bangladesh and Pakistan are likely to restart on April 25 and May 5.
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Source: Lloyds List
