Ship recycling and what happens to the ship at the end of its life cycle has always been an issue in the industry, but steps are now being taken to fundamentally change this situation. Recycling of ships plays a significant role in the life cycle of the retired vessels, and is essential to the commercial success and sustainability of the industry, as old and inefficient ships become redundant and recycling becomes necessary.
So far, recycling of ships is considered the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to end the lifecycle of the retired vessels. According to the reports of NGO Shipbreaking Platform, over the past 12 years, more than 70% of the estimated 800 vessels that reach the end of their operational life annually are scrapped on the beaches of Alang in India, Chattogram in Bangladesh, and Gadani in Pakistan.
Most of the retired vessels sold for dismantling today end up in the South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, and pakistan ship recycling, and the West African countries as well. In these countries, the recycling of ships is lucrative, supports many workers, and serves as a source of raw materials for small industries.
How is recycling of ships done?
Ship recycling follows the process of dismantling the parts of retired vessels when it reaches its end of the life cycle. Ship dismantling involves the retired vessels being stripped of their parts, barring the materials that add value to the industries and can be reused in an eco-friendly way for new ships or other applications.
Also, all other parts such as furniture, glass materials, and more are also reused for a variety of things and applications. The process of scrapping a ship is by breaking it into several different parts before dismantling them again. Some of the india ship breaking yards follow the process of dismantling the vessels by taking the ship to the shore.
How does responsible ship recycling affect our environment?
Various reasons have made the recycling of ships popular in developed and developing countries as well, like India’s ship breaking yards. This process is helping the environment in many ways which are as follows-
• Helps isolate those ship parts that are harmful to the environment, oceans, and human life. There are various toxic substances in the ship which include lead, asbestos, mercury, sludge, and so on. Ineffective methods of disposing of the retired vessel allow these toxic and hazardous wastes to endanger humans and aquatic life, but the environmentally friendly ship recycling process eliminates all these dangerous methods that hamper the environment.
• Green ship recycling method helps to properly dispose of shipping waste and helps protect the marine ecosystem because most factories throw toxic waste into the sea and endanger the lives of aquatic animals. If the shipping industry would continue to do so, then soon, half of the marine life will disappear from this earth forever.
• The process of recycling in ship scrap yards also reuses valuable ship parts such as steel, aluminum, brass, and silver. Since most of the weight of ships is of steel, therefore, scrap steel from decommissioned ships is converted into bars, poles, and pillars for various other industrial purposes hence, saving natural resources for future use.
Recycling of ships is beneficial for both humans and the environment. This is an important contribution of the ship scrap yards towards building a better future. Ships do not survive on water for more than 25 years, that’s why recycling of ships after it reaches its operational tenure is important. Such ship scrap yards in developing countries of Asia are a thriving business for every industry.
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