Ship Graveyard in Chittagong

Ships, like people, have their own lifespan. However, the disposal of end-of-life ships is a very complex and costly problem.

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1. This is due to the fact that, in addition to technological problems, one has to deal with environmental ones: the cost of disposal of toxic waste (asbestos, lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury) in Western countries is much higher than the cost of scrap metal.

2. To insulate a large vessel, 7-8 tons of asbestos and up to 100 tons of lead paint are used.

3. In Chittagong (Bangladesh), where, apparently, no one cares about environmental regulations, at least half of the world's decommissioned ships are now being scrapped.

4. Dismantling ships for scrap in Chittagong began in 1969. Up to 250 ships are dismantled here annually.

5. Every week 3-5 new ships arrive there.

6. According to various estimates, from 30 to 80 thousand people work in Chittagong, at least 10% of which are minors.

7. You have to work practically with your bare hands: only autogen and sledgehammers are used.

8. The working day starts at seven in the morning and ends at eleven in the evening. Apart from a break for breakfast, you can rest only twice per shift for half an hour.

9. The salary is only 1.5-3 dollars a day.

10. Every year in Chittagong, up to 50 workers die from accidents and poisoning (the maximum allowable concentration of lead is exceeded here by 320 times).

11. 80% of production in Chittagong is controlled by American, German and Scandinavian companies.

12. The business is valued at $1-1.2 billion a year. The owners spend $200-300 million on wages for workers, taxes and bribes to officials.