What is done with retired ships?
Like all machines, ships too become old and have to be retired from service. So what happens to a vessel after it has finished serving its employers?
Ships go through a process called ship-breaking. In this process, ships are disposed off by breaking down for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or the extraction of raw materials, chiefly scrap. The steel from the ship can be recycled for use in the manufacturing of new products which lowers the demand for mined iron ore and reduces energy use in the steelmaking process. Many other fittings can also be reused.
At present, the Alang Ship Breaking Yard in Gujarat is one of the largest ship-breaking yards in the world. It has claimed to have scrapped more than half the ships of the world.
Established in 1982-83, in the Gulf of Khambhat, in Gujarat, it consists of 153 ship-breaking yards spread over 14 kilometers along the coast and employs close to 40,000 people. Alang is currently equipped to recycle 400 to 450 ships a year. On an average it has been producing 3.5million tonnes of steel annually from recycling about 200 ships.
Decommissioned ships are towed and beached at the shore which resembles a yard. They are then dismantled by the labourers almost manually, which is tedious and extremely hazardous, since the vessels generally carry explosive or inflammable materials like oil and gas. The bow or the front portion of the vessel is dismantled first. This provides ventilation within the vessel for dismantling the remaining hazardous parts. The materials are then sold as scrap.
If the ship is not broken, it might be used for other purposes. Naval ships may be converted into museums or used for research. They may also be sunk as artificial reefs or as targets during naval exercises.
