Ever wondered what happens to a ship once it's aged beyond its seafaring days? Are these mammoth vessels auctioned off as scrap or simply abandoned on the shoreline? Let's delve into this topic today.
In bygone eras, when maritime vessels reached the end of their serviceable lives, salvage crews meticulously stripped them of their reusable components before consigning them to the ocean depths. This practice served a dual purpose: providing artificial reefs for marine life while mitigating the hazards of dismantling, where the risk of serious injury loomed large. Moreover, the byproducts of ship disassembly, rife with hazardous materials, posed a significant environmental threat. Ships may hold hundreds of tons of materials contaminated with PCBs, such as insulation, paints, decking, gaskets, wires, and cables. Prolonged exposure to these substances can lead to liver and neurological harm, as well as infertility and cancer.
Enter Bhavnagar, Gujarat in India, home to the world's largest ship graveyard. Here, a staggering 80 percent of the globe's container ships and cruise liners find their final resting place, undergoing recycling on an unprecedented scale. It now stands as the largest shipbreaking yard globally.
Read:-Why Don't Ships Have Headlights? How Ships Avoid Collisions?
Put simply, when old ships are no longer operational, they typically go through a process known as ship breaking or ship recycling. Here's what typically occurs:
Docking: The ship is taken to a shipbreaking yard or dock where it will be dismantled.
Preparation: Before dismantling begins, hazardous materials like asbestos, lead, and mercury are removed to ensure safe working conditions for the workers and minimize environmental impact.
Dismantling: The ship is then systematically taken apart. This involves cutting the ship into smaller sections using heavy machinery like torches and cranes. Different materials such as steel, aluminum, and copper are separated for recycling.
Read:-How Ships Secure Safe Drinking and Bathing Water for Crew and Passengers
Recycling: Once the ship is dismantled, the various materials are sorted and sold for recycling. Steel is often the most valuable material and can be reused in construction and manufacturing industries. Other materials like copper wiring, glass, and wood may also be salvaged and recycled.
Disposal of Non-Recyclables: Some materials, such as toxic substances or contaminated parts, may need special disposal methods to prevent environmental pollution.
Environmental Considerations: Shipbreaking can have significant environmental impacts, especially in developing countries where regulations may be less strict. Efforts are being made to improve practices and ensure that shipbreaking is done in an environmentally responsible manner.
Overall, shipbreaking provides a way to extract value from old ships while also managing waste and recycling materials. However, it's important to address the environmental and safety concerns associated with this process.
0 comments:
Post a Comment