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Thimbu
Okinawa
(Japan)
Tachkent
Kaboul
Bichkek
Douchanbe
Almaty
Oulan-Bator
Sea of
Okhotsk
Mer de lÕEst
(Mer du japon)
CACHEMIRE
Guam
(.-U.)
PALAU
Bandar Seri Begawan
Spratley
Hainan
(Chine)
Paracels
Diego Garcia (R.-U.)
Katmandou
TIBET
Colombo
Male
MALDIVES
MICRONESIA
PAPUA-
NEW-
GUINEA
BRUNEì
UZBEKISTAN
Pyongyang
Phnom Penh
Bangkok
Vientiane
Hano
Rangoon
Kuala Lumpur
Jakarta
Manila
Tapeh
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Karashi
NEPAL
BHUTAN
BHUTAN
Hong Kong
Bahvnagar
Amour
I
n
d
u
s
Y
a
n
g
T
s
e
R
i
v
e
r
Seoul
Tokyo
Beijing
Islamabad
Karachi
Mumbai
Dakha
aohsiung
Shanghai
Indian
Ocean
Pacific
Ocean
South
China Sea
Gulf of
Bengal
MONGOLIA
KAZAKHSTAN
PHILIPPINES
MALAYSIA
I N D O N E S I A
VIETNAM
CAMBODIA
THAìLAND
LAOS
BURMA
BANGLADESH
AFGHANISTAN
TAJIKISTAN
KYRGYZSTAN
NORTH KOREA
SOUTH
KOREA
JAPAN
AUSTRALIA
SIingapore
SRI LANKA
PAL
IRAN
SAUDI ARABIA
IRAK
OMAN
YEMEN
TURKMENISTAN
UZBEKISTAN
KIRGHIZSTAN
TURKEY
AZERB.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Ship scrapping in
Million tonnes
5
8,5
2
Main shipbreaking
countries
Main shipbreaking
yards
These figures are from 1998.
Since then, China and
Bangladesh have moved to the
first places.
New Delhi
CHINA
INDIA
PAKISTAN
Alang
180 sites along
the Indian coast
125 sites
along the
Pakistani coast
Chittagong
37 sites
several sites along
the Yangtze river
Ship breaking in Asia
Sources: International Labour Organization, Basel Action Network,International Maritime Organization,
INTERTANKO, Lloyd's List Toxics Link India, Greenpeace India, 1998 to 2002.
Ships broken
up at Alang
1982 1985
1990
1995
2000
1
2
Million tonnes
3
Source: Gujarat
Maritime Board, 2004.
2002
The shipbreaking yards of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
employ approximately 100 000 workers (40 000 in India alone).
In India, ship-breaking provides 10% of steel for the industry, the
number of indirect jobs is estimated to 100 000.
0
1 000 km
38
39
A new lease of life
About 95% of a ship’s body is made of mild
steel with the rest made up of stainless steel,
and miscellaneous metals, such as brass,
aluminium, copper and other alloys. Places
like Bangladesh and India are dependent
on shipbreaking for their domestic steel.
The steel scrap supports a multitude of in-
dustries, employing millions of people. Ship
fittings and stores are also traded. These
may include engines, boilers, furniture,
electronics, clothing, foodstuffs and first aid
equipment. Prices paid for old ships vary
enormously. Between 2001 and 2003 the
price fluctuated between US $48 and US
$240 (Greenpeace 2003).
Finding a safer way
A number of international organi-
sations like the Basel Conven-
tion, the International Maritime
Organisation, and the Interna-
tional Labour Organisation are
working to find a safer way to
recycle old ships. Ship owners
have agreed in principal to pro-
vide buyers with a gas free certif-
icate and a list of hazardous ma-
terials and their location. Some
western countries are investigat-
ing the possibility of establishing
high tech, environmentally safe
shipbreaking yards.