Context: Recently, the Central government has notified the Director-General of Shipping as the national authority for recycling of ships under the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019.
About NASR

• The national authority of ship recycling will be set up in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The location of the office will benefit the ship recycling yard owners situated in Alang, Gujarat which is home to the largest ship recycling industry in the world.
• DG Shipping is authorized to administer, supervise and monitor all activities relating to ship recycling in the country.
• DG Shipping will oversee the sustainable development of the ship recycling industry, monitoring the compliance to environment-friendly norms and safety and health measures for the stakeholders.
• DG Shipping will be the final authority for the various approvals required by the ship-recycling yard owners and state governments.

Recycling of Ships Act, 2019

• Under the Ship Recycling Act, 2019, India has acceded to the ‘Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships’.
• This was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• DG Shipping is a representative of India in the IMO and all the conventions of IMO are being enforced by DG Shipping.