Shipbreaking threatens beaches worldwide
Shipbreaking takes place in poor countries, where once pretty beaches in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey are turned into ship graveyards.
After 25-30 years ships are at the end of their sailing life. These "End of Life Vessels" are sold and dismantled to recover the valuable steel. About 95% of the ship consists of steel. But the ships also contain large amounts of hazardous materials.
Shipbreaking used to be concentrated in Europe. Performed at docks, it was a highly mechanised industrial operation. But the costs of upholding environmental, health and safety standards increased. So the shipping industry moved to poorer Asian states. Workers there scrap the ships without any protection. Toxic waste is then released into the environment, polluting the once beautiful beaches. The only ones who profit are the ship owners, extracting an average US$ 1.9 million profit per End of Life Vessel, with disasterous consequences for the environment.
More information about shipbreaking>>
Greenpeace's position statement on the US ghost ships.
