Chapter 2. The Global Business Of Shipbreaking

An activity as old as shipbuilding, shipbreaking is an essential and integral component of the shipping business. This chapter reviews the existing patterns and practices in the shipbreaking industry to understand its global character and some of its intractable issues from two perspectives. First, shipbreaking on the Indian subcontinent, using Alang as representative of shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh and Pakistan, is examined. Second, the in-house dismantling capabilities of OECD countries are reviewed with Turkey, the undisputed leader in shipbreaking in the OECD, the focus. In addition, a critique on the European Union's Waste Shipment Regulations (WSR) and the controversy over the export of ghost ships from the United States' National Defence Reserve Fleet is offered. The major features of this global industry and these case studies arguably lead to the conclusion that international standards for ship recycling, along with greater North-South cooperation, are necessary to ensure sustainable ship recycling.Keywords: Alang; European Union; Indian subcontinent; National Defence Reserve Fleet; OECD; ship recycling; shipbreaking industry; Waste Shipment Regulations (WSR)