Every ship has a lifespan. After decades of crossing oceans, enduring storms, and moving goods across the world, a vessel eventually reaches the end of its operational life. What happens next is a crucial – and controversial – stage of the maritime cycle: ship recycling, often referred to as ship scrapping.
Shipbreaking isn’t just about destruction. It’s also about resource recovery, economic opportunity, and increasingly, environmental accountability. Where a ship is dismantled tells us a lot about global labor, regulation, and responsibility.
The majority of the world’s ships are dismantled in South Asia, where large coastlines, cheap labor, and lighter environmental rules have long made the region a center for shipbreaking.
The top ship scrapping countries include:
• India – Particularly the coastal area of Alang in Gujarat, once the world’s busiest shipbreaking yard. India has made efforts to modernize and regulate the industry under the Hong Kong Convention and the Recycling of Ships Act (2019), aiming for safer and greener practices.
• Bangladesh – Centered in Chattogram, shipbreaking is a major source of raw steel and employment. However, the industry has faced serious criticism over unsafe working conditions, pollution, and lack of environmental controls.
• Pakistan – The Gadani shipbreaking yard is one of the largest in terms of area, although operational volume has fluctuated. Like its neighbors, Pakistan has struggled with labor safety and environmental issues, but also offers vital economic benefits.
• Turkey – Offers a regulated and EU-compliant alternative, especially for European shipowners seeking cleaner dismantling. Turkish yards (especially Aliaga) are growing in popularity due to stricter waste handling and environmental compliance.
• China – Used to be a major player, but recent government restrictions and a push for greener industries have reduced its involvement in scrapping foreign vessels.
Other smaller but rising players include Vietnam, Indonesia, and EU countries with specialized yards (especially for military or research vessels).
Ship scrapping is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, it provides valuable materials (especially steel), supports local economies, and enables the recycling of hundreds of thousands of tons of metal each year. It also creates jobs – often for marginalized communities.
On the other hand, much of the industry has been marked by dangerous working conditions, exposure to toxic materials, lack of medical support, and devastating environmental impact. Beaching methods (where ships are dismantled onshore without dry docks) raise further concerns about pollution and worker safety.
The industry is now facing pressure to transform. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (IMO, 2009) and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation push for higher standards. Some shipowners are choosing certified green yards – but progress is uneven.
Is it enough to focus on sustainability while ships are operating – or should shipowners also be responsible for how and where their vessels are dismantled? What would a truly circular maritime economy look like?
