Unplanned Ride to Alang: World's Biggest Ship-Breaking Yard

During my soloride to Gujarat, enroute Somnath to Bhavnagar, just 50km before Bhavnagar I saw a signpost on the Highway: "Take Right to Alang: 20km". As many years ago I watched a couple of documentary movies on Alang viz: Shipbreakers of Alang by Michael Kot in 2004 & On the Road to Alang by Peter Knego (2005). Hence this unexpected detour allowed me to explore an industry that significantly impacts the global maritime landscape.

The Alang Ship Breaking Yard is claimed to be the world's largest ship-breaking yard, responsible for dismantling a significant number of retired freight, large super-tankers, car ferries, container ships, ocean liners, and cargo ships salvaged from around the world. It is located on the Gulf of Khambhat by the town of Alang, in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

The Alang facility consists of 183 ship breaking yards along 14km of coast that totals 4.5 million Light Displacement Tonnage (LDT) of capacity. The ₹5,000 crore annual shipbreaking industry employs more than 15,000 workers directly (300 employment per plot) and several thousand indirectly. Since its establishment in 1983, the shipyard is believed to have acquired a total of USD $110.6 billion in aggregate value, including total assets.

Competitors & Issues:

Other large facilities on the scale of Alang Ship Breaking Yard include the

1. Aliağa Ship Breaking Yard (Turkey),

2. Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard (Bangladesh)

3. Gadani ship-breaking yard (Pakistan).

Alang did 1.09 mn tonnes of LDT recycling in FY2022-23 as against the capacity of 4.5 million LDT, its worst since 2007-08 when Alang managed 0.64 million LDT. Alang faces the challenge of complying with stringent regulations its competitors in Bangladesh and Pakistan operate under less stringent oversight.

Shipbreakers in Alang allege that many ships from countries in Europe and elsewhere that follow strict environmental norms send their ships to Bangladesh and Pakistan by changing flags to African countries where laws are relaxed (this change of flag is also known as Flag of Convenience to recycle ship). They do this in order to get a better price for their vessels that are set to retire.

This happens due to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which provides for the primary responsibility for ships to rest with the vessel’s flag state. Thus, every merchant ship needs to be registered under the flag of a particular state under whose regulatory control it consequently falls. As rights and obligations under international law are mainly imposed on vessels via the flag states, they are a crucial factor in determining the enforceability of international standards.

Conclusion:

Moreover, apart from 185 Shipbreakers Plot, there are hundreds of traders on that same 15km stretch. They deal in scrap steel, copper, Brass, Motors, Wires, Wood, high-quality Doors, and furniture of Ships in retail and wholesale. Overall it was an astounding experience to witness such a significant place. Though a camera was not allowed inside the premises so wherever it was allowed I made the video and uploaded it on my YouTube:

Youtube Vlog on Ride to Alang

#soloride #alang #shipbreaker