Where is shipbreaking carried out?
Until environmental rules became stricter, most shipbreaking took place in Europe and the United States. Today, however, the vast majority of the more than 1,000 ships scrapped each year are dismantled on three “beaching” sites in South Asia: Alang‑Sosiya (India), Chattogram (Bangladesh), and Gadani (Pakistan), where enforcement of environmental and labour law is much weaker.
Impact of beaching
Beaching uses the tides to move and clear ships directly on the shore during dismantling and has severe consequences:
- Destruction of marine life and serious, long‑term environmental damage.
- Extremely hazardous working conditions; workers are exposed to toxic substances (lead, mercury, PCBs, TBTs) and frequent fatal or disabling accidents. The ILO classifies shipbreaking as one of the most dangerous activities in the world.
- Economic, environmental, and health impacts on coastal communities that depend on these ecosystems.
How do ships end up on these beaches?
Few companies use certified, regulated recycling facilities. Instead, ships are often sold to intermediaries who send them to beaching yards to minimise costs and liability. The use of “flags of convenience” from lightly regulated countries is common, making it harder to hold the owner’s State accountable.
International and EU legal framework
- Basel Convention (1989) – Aims to prevent developing countries from becoming dumping grounds for hazardous waste from developed nations.
- Ban Amendment (1994) – Prohibits exports of hazardous waste from OECD to non‑OECD countries.
- EU Regulation 1013/2006 – Implements the Basel Convention in EU law for transboundary shipments of waste, including end‑of‑life ships.
- Hong Kong Convention – An IMO convention on safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships; less stringent, it does not ban beaching and relies heavily on the ship’s flag, which encourages the use of flags of convenience.
- EU Regulation 1257/2013 – More demanding than the Hong Kong Convention; it prohibits beaching and requires better working conditions, but controversially no longer classifies end‑of‑life ships as “hazardous waste,” which some argue conflicts with the Basel Convention.
Portugal’s position
Despite its maritime tradition and long coastline, Portugal has not positioned itself as a hub for compliant ship recycling. The European Commission has even opened infringement proceedings against Portugal for failure to implement EU ship‑recycling legislation.
Key Sources
NGO Shipbreaking Platform https://www.shipbreakingplatform.org
BAN https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling
Care Ratings https://www.careratings.com/upload/NewsFiles/Studies/Ship%20Breaking%20Industry.pdf
Basel: http://www.basel.int/Implementation/LegalMatters/BanAmendment/Overview/tabid/1484/Default.aspx
Marine Insight: https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/10-largest-ship-graveyards-in-the-world/
Vídeos
Final Destination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDiuqcx-vpI
Chittagong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5waCscf2a00
Alang-Sosiya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jdEG_ACXLw
Gadani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHzhMAInv2Q
Aliaga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5XQDtvagHw
National Geographic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOmtFN1bfZ8
Rita Duarte | [email protected]