The global demand for ship recycling has surged, driven by stricter environmental regulations and the retirement of older fleets worldwide. In this context, Türkiye — and particularly the Aliağa Ship Breaking Yard on the Aegean coast — remains one of the world’s major ship-dismantling centers. Yet, recent developments have placed the sector under intense scrutiny, as environmental, safety, and regulatory challenges force stakeholders to reconsider its future.
Aliağa’s Role and Capacity
Aliağa is widely recognized as the fourth-largest ship-breaking zone globally. The yard spans dozens of plots — managed by more than 20 firms — and has dismantled hundreds of ships over the decades, from dry-bulk carriers and tankers to cruise ships, delivering substantial quantities of recycled steel and other materials back into the market.
According to recent data, the capacity and volume handled by Aliağa remain significant: recycling operations support thousands of jobs and contribute to national economy through steel recovery and material reuse.
Rising Global Demand and Regulatory Pressure
Several factors have driven up the demand for ship recycling in Türkiye. Global tightening of emissions and environmental standards — especially in Europe — has led owners of aging vessels to send their ships for dismantling. As a result, as European-flagged fleets shrink or modernize, many older tonnages are increasingly steered toward ship-breaking facilities like those in Aliağa.
At the same time, the activation of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) on 26 June 2025 — aiming for safer, more sustainable ship recycling practices globally — places added pressure on recycling yards to meet international environmental and safety standards.
For Türkiye, this means aligning its operations with evolving global norms. Some yards in Aliağa already claim compliance with management systems such as ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (occupational health & safety).
Environmental and Safety Concerns: Recent Incidents
Despite its capacity and economic importance, Aliağa’s ship-recycling sector has faced serious criticism on environmental and safety grounds.
A report by the NGO NGO Shipbreaking Platform — one of the most comprehensive to date — found persistent regulatory gaps throughout the process: from yard approval and waste management to actual dismantling and disposal practices.
Key findings include high levels of contamination: soil, water, and air in the region have been found to contain hazardous substances such as arsenic, lead, asbestos, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and toxic residues from ballast water and sludge.
Particularly alarming was a 2025 inspection by local authorities which uncovered roughly 15,000 tonnes of hazardous waste stored unsafely — some buried under soil to hide contamination — prompting legal action and promises of enforcement by the municipality.
Additionally, a fire onboard the decommissioned vessel FSO Sloug — moored for dismantling at an Aliağa yard — in July 2025 again exposed the risky safety and environmental conditions that persist in some facilities. The fire, triggered by residual petroleum in the tanks, emitted thick toxic smoke and reignited calls for stricter oversight.
A Crossroads: Ownership Change and Opportunity for Reform
In early 2025, a significant shift occurred: the ship-breaking yards in Aliağa were purchased by the local municipality via its subsidiary (APAŞ), marking a turning point for the sector.
This change in governance — coupled with the upcoming expiry of public-land leases in 2026 — opens a unique window for reforms. According to recent analyses, there is an opportunity to re-structure the industry, invest in cleaner infrastructure (e.g. proper drainage, wastewater treatment, dry-dock dismantling, cold-cutting methods), ensure robust waste management, and align practices with both international conventions (HKC) and EU standards.
Stakeholders and NGOs argue that these next couple of years will be decisive: successful transformation could position Aliağa as a regional model for sustainable ship recycling; failure could perpetuate environmental degradation and reputational damage.
Sustainability Outlook: What Needs to Happen
To ensure a sustainable and acceptable future for ship recycling in Türkiye, several key steps are essential:
-
Implementation of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework for all recycling yards; environmental licensing and periodic audits must be mandatory.
Transition from beaching/landing methods to dry-dock dismantling or other contained techniques to prevent coastal contamination, in line with HKC recommendations.
-
Establishment of rigorous waste management systems — including proper handling of hazardous waste, oil residues, asbestos, heavy metals — with reliable tracking and third-party verification.
Prioritization of worker safety: provide protective equipment, training, safe operating procedures (gas-free cutting, safe lifting), and regular health monitoring.
-
Transparent, enforceable regulation and oversight by governmental authorities, with involvement of local community, environmental bodies, and international observers to ensure accountability.
If these measures are adopted, ship recycling in Türkiye could evolve into a sustainable enterprise — delivering economic benefits, contributing to circular economy goals, and safeguarding human health and environment.
by Zihni Marketing Team
