I happened to see a program on TV, National Geographic Channel on a place called ALANG in India and though many may have seen it or know of the place and what it’s famous for, I was coming across this for the first time. I’d like to share the information with you.

Alang is a town in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 50 kms south of Bhavnagar and it houses the world’s largest and leading ship breaking and recycling centers. It is on this ten Kilometre stretch that the ship yards are located in the Gulf of Khambat. For more information of the place please visit, www.wikipedia.org/Alang .

Now for the alarming and amazing facts that this industry revealed to the channel.

About 50% of the worlds’ ships are wrecked and recycled here. It takes six months to completely break down a ship. 2.5 million tons of steel are recycled annually, constituting 15% of our country’s production of steel. Approximately 350 ships are wrecked a year.

Tens of thousands of men, majority of youth are employed in this profession. The high tide variance in this area helps ships to cruise to the shore at high tide and work begins during low tide.

A Brazilian ship called Welma was brought ashore, weighing 9000 tons after thirty years of service and through the breaking process, the dangerous aspects of their work was explained.

A set of 5 cm thick steel ropes are used to haul the ship into place. A tricky job here as one snap of any one of the steel ropes can back fire to the extent of cutting a body into two.

Before the actual breaking starts with the use of gas cutting torches that cut through the steel, a thorough fuel check is done. Contaminated fuel is emptied onto the beach and burnt. Clean fuel is sold.

Imagine the scene, if the gas cutters were used when there is any traces of fuel left. It will cause one helluva explosion. There are experienced guys like Patel who are given this job of ensuring that the fuel tanks are completely drained and dried out. His job is to also systematically check out for the presence of toxic deposits which are equally volatile.

The actual cutting starts and though no one receives any special training, experience has taught them to adopt a systematic approach.

Almost 99% material is reused. This is where the ladies come in to take their share of non steel stuff, mattresses and miscellaneous articles to be resold in a market nearby which was specially established for the purpose.

Cutting through the steel begins and the top portion of the ship is cut through. Once all the surrounding body is cut, they reach the main steel frame which is the toughest. As they work at the steel beams, precariously balancing atop the beams, a day’s work for one person who cuts a beam from one end to the other. One wrong move and it’s a straight 20m fall down, resulting in death.

No special clothing for them except their mining hats and they inhale the toxic fuel vapours all day long, the poisonous carbon monoxide fill their lungs. A health hazard to say the least.

A poor but unique work force who continue to go back there to work for their hunger and basic needs to be met, on an average a worker earns US Dollars.60.00 a month. (Rs.2400).

The more specialized workers like Patel receive Rs.5000.00.

For this salary, these men swear by their work not taking into consideration the health risks attached. On an average 400 of these men die every year, mostly accidents and some from cancer too. So many dead are brothers or fathers of the workers.

They share a common motto “Every day 1 ship, Every day 1 dead’. This is the condition of their existence and outside the shipping yards the place is the worst kind of slum dwelling. People live in the poorest of conditions in huts in a totally polluted environment. National Geographic claims that Alang is one of the most under-developed places in the world.

The broken steel plates are taken to a nearby steel mill where they are melted and re-rolled into steel rods. Even here the work is handled by more youth who are equipped with just a pair of glasses to protect their eyes and gloves and no masks or protective clothes as they continue to work at the smelters.

One ship building baron who visited the site is believed to have said that he knew what had to go into building the ships, but he never realized that such a systematic approach was required to break them. He was shocked that no formal training was imparted to them.

Well, that’s Alang for us and sadly the ways of life for 12000 or so of our population.

Isn’t it ironical, the largest and leading in terms of the Industry but the exact opposite in terms of the environment and living conditions.

My apologies if any of the figures or name of the ship is wrong as I tried to follow up as closely as I could.