Chittagong in Bangladesh is one of the oldest cities in the country. However, tourists are attracted to it not because of its old sights, but because of the world's largest ship graveyard.

Impression of death of the ships

Foreigners are so attracted to Chittagong‘s ship graveyard that some tourism companies book special flights to it.

Officially, tourists aren‘t even desirable in the graveyard territory. However, the desire to see it is so great that the tourists thrust their way there illegally. Being there among the dead ships has a profound impact on people. The experiences are recorded in the pictures of people visiting there and their written impressions.

Local government has already begun to prohibit taking pictures in the graveyard. It thought that whatever there is harms the prestige of Bangladesh. In the city of Chittagong, having three million people, a rare family is not associated with ship cemetery operations. Thousands of ships around the world are terminating their cruises to the Bay of Bengal coast.

Here one can see the impressive 350-500-meter long previously used oil and metal ore carriers. To cut these ships using the floating docks would normally cost too much. Therefore, you have a choice of getting rid of them at the least expensive option.

What is Alanga famous for?

Demand in ship graveyard has recently particularly increased. As many ships anchored unused during the crisis, they became detrimental to repair. The ships are therefore shipped to where they are dismantled at cheapest. There are more of such low-cost ship cutting stations as Chittagong.

The Indian coastline, particularly the Bhavnagar state coast, is famous for the huge ship cutting stations. This is where the world's largest ship-breaking area is located. Alanga ship-cutting area has approximately 400 stations. From 20 to 40 thousand people work here at the same time. About 1,500 vessels are dismantled in Alanga every year. It takes about two months and 300 people to take one ship to pieces.

Ship-breaking conditions in Alanga are no different from those in Chittagong in Bangladesh. Based on working conditions, the latter is considered to be the worst in the world.

Floods wash the vessels ashore

It is as if nature itself took care of the vessels to be dismantled in the Indian Ocean coastline. The flood waves wash the old ships ashore. Sandy beaches take them very well. Once the ship keels are sucked into the sand, there‘s no longer a risk of them tipping over.

Warm weather allows year-round dismantling of ships. But the important thing is the desire of poor residents in the Indian Ocean coast to engage in a dirty and toxic work. Oftentimes, one can still find there not only fuel, but also residues of hazardous materials. Work schedule is organized in accordance to the flood waves. An inoperable vessel is towed to the coast. It is positioned with its nose in front so that when a tidal wave comes, the ship is washed ashore. The ship‘s main knots, pipes, cables, and various equipment of non-ferrous metals are taken into pieces. Then the ship is cut into sections lengthwise. It becomes lighter. With the use of tidal waves and human power, the vessels are drawn even more closer to the shore. There, yet bigger groups of people take them over.

High mortality scale

Chittagong ship cemetery has been considered to be one of the most polluted places in the world. Various international organizations, such as "Greenpeace", have long been struggling against the ship graveyard in Bangladesh.

In ship-breaking stations, people work 12-14 hours per day, with a salary of 1.1 to 3.5 U.S. dollars per day. Working conditions are particularly hazardous. There are no safeguards or special clothes. Hundreds of accidents happen in the ship cemetery every year.

Over two decades, Chittagong ship graveyard has killed about 500 people, Alanga has taken 380 lives. According to "Greenpeace", 50-60 people die in those ship-breaking sites each year. About one hundred injured people are recorded every week. People get poisoned when inhaling various hazardous materials.

Many children work on ships as well. They are able to get into various ship slicing places where the access is too difficult for adults. Children start working on boards from 10-12 years of age.