The Problem

Just as the goods they transport, ships too become waste when they reach the end of their operational lives. When compared to sinking or abandonment, recycling is by far the most environmentally-friendly and economically sound way of getting rid of old ships, as it ensures the reuse of valuable resources such as steel, iron, aluminium and plastics. Today, however, only a fraction of end-of-life ships is handled in a safe and clean manner. Shipbreaking is a heavy and hazardous industry that exposes both workers and the environment to a great number of risks. 

Around five hundred ocean-going commercial vessels reach the end of their service life each year.  While up until the 1970s ships were dismantled mainly in Europe and the United States, when social and environmental protection laws became stricter, the industry shifted to areas where legal frameworks are weaker. Today, the vast majority of ships are broken on only three beaches in South Asia.

More than 70 percent of obsolete ships end up in South Asia, where they are broken under rudimentary conditions on the beaches of Alang-Sosiya in India, Chattogram (formerly known as Chittagong) in Bangladesh and Gadani in Pakistan - a practice known as ‘beaching’. The human costs and the environmental impacts of beaching are devastating, and the negative consequences of the shipbreaking industry in these countries are felt by many. On the one hand, workers, often exploited migrants, lose their lives and suffer injuries and occupational diseases due to unsafe working conditions and exposure to toxic substances. On the other hand, coastal ecosystems and the local communities depending on them are devastated by toxic spills and other types of pollution due to the lack of infrastructure to contain, properly manage and dispose of hazardous materials. 

Turkey is the other main destination for end-of-life vessels. Facilities operating in the rest of the world account for only 3 percent of ships scrapped globally every year. In some yards located in these countries, even though safer and cleaner ship recycling methods are used, concerns related to poor hazardous waste management and breaches of labour rights exist.