"For two decades, Ramakant has cut apart vessels as large as oil tankers and cargo carriers that sailed in from Europe and other Asian countries for his livelihood. With its unique tidal pattern and gently sloping beach, Alang in the 1980s became the backbone of India's ship recycling industry, where ships could be beached and dismantled at a minimal cost."
"Rows of rescue boats wait to be resold, alongside chains, lifejackets and other salvaged remnants at Alang yard [Anuj Behal/Al Jazeera] Across the world's oceans, an ageing fleet of cargo ships, cruise liners, and oil tankers is nearing the end of its life. Of the roughly 109,000 vessels still in service, nearly half are more than 15 years old — rusting giants that will soon be retired."
Alang in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, is the world's largest ship-breaking yard with a gently sloping beach and tidal pattern that allows low-cost beaching and dismantling. More than 8,600 vessels, collectively weighing about 68 million tonnes LDT, have been dismantled there, accounting for nearly 98 percent of India's ship recycling and roughly one-third of global volume. Globally, about 109,000 vessels remain in service, nearly half over 15 years old, and roughly 1,800 ships are retired annually. Owners sell retired vessels to cash buyers in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, who resell them to South Asian yards. Local dismantling workers face declining ship arrivals.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]