GUJARAT –  Over 185 miles (298 kilometers) northwest of Bombay, Alang is an odd amalgamation of the fascinating and surreal. To Western eyes, it is a graveyard of floating hulks: rusty iron, rotting ship hulls, and the smell of salt mingled with industrial material.

The world looks on in a mixture of admiration – the sheer scale of the area is impressive – and concern.  Indian citizens have also spoken out against the practice of Western vessels being “decommissioned” in their waters. Why must this exist? How has it lifted up the poor in Gujarat, according to Indian authorities?

Floating Trouble

According to Sarath Kumara, “Behind this widening judicial assault on workers’ and democratic rights lies the ruling class’s recognition and fear of the massive opposition that exists to the mounting poverty, economic insecurity and social inequality that have been the outcome of 15 years of neo-liberal reform.”

Kumara, a legendary journalist and actor, passed away in August of 2023, yet his words haunt the strange place where gulls cry and swoop over industrial remains. He protested against the government’s “gag-order” on those who criticized and questioned the decision to allow the Clemenceau, a French aircraft carrier, to be decommissioned at Alang.

This action came in 2006, but the repercussions are felt to this day.

Traditionally, ship breaking occurred mostly in the United States and Europe, contained in the shipyards of New York, Boston, Belfast (UK), and Bordeaux (France). In Scotland, ship recycling, as it now called, still takes place at Leith Dry Dock, just outside of Edinburgh. The United Kingdom was the center of this industrial practice through the Second World War.

Then, in the 1970s, the allure of saving costs persuaded capitalists/industrialists to look eastward. Businesses attributed the shift to environmental regulations. As countries such as Korea and India became more economically developed, the pact was sealed.

Murky Tides

The Alang ship yard sprang to life in the 1980s, according to news reports. Giant ships found their way to India’s coastline. As the tide goes out, crews run the vessels aground upon the shore and turn off the colossal engines. Land crews, comprised of workers from southeast Asia, then disassemble the ships piece by piece.

Western companies and governments initially sought to use Asia because the workers used manual methods to take ships apart. As the years passed, the international community, namely the United Nations, now asks questions and conducts inspections of Alang.

Alang

According to the Annals of Global Health, disseminated from Boston College, “This (Alang) area is often looked at due to the hazardous nature of the industry and because there is dismantling of old ships which would have hazardous materials, including asbestos, present.” The report, written by Raja Singh and Arthur L. Frank, was submitted in on March 14, 2025, and published in June.

Investigations have uncovered a high number of deaths linked to work site accidents and later diseases. In 2023, a report stated how workers are paid the equivalent of $1 or $2 per day. Aids and related health issues are rampant among scrap yard workers. Yet, migrants from Bangladesh are paid more at Alang than in their homeland.

Shantytowns dot the shoreline of Alang, but for many it is a refuge and a place to earn something for themselves and their families. An approximate 40,000 people live and work at the yard.

Full Speed Ahead

How are the ships dismembered?

• Workers “shackle” the ship to the ground with large cable lines.
•  Diesel powered machines bring the ship farther up the beach. These chains are pulled extremely tight and sometimes snap, placing workers in great danger.
• Crews empty the fuel tanks to prevent explosions before continuing the work. Site overseers inspect all tanks before workers proceed further.
• Scrappers then remove anything of value from the ship, i.e. décor, woodwork, flags, etc. Shantytowns are often full of discount wares from the disemboweled vessels. Business representatives visit the markets to find desired items, including electrical components and other technology.
• The timeline of dissembling a ship can take from a few weeks to a year. After the initial steps are completed, the physical structure is then removed piece by piece.

Conflicting Currents

What is at stake in this unique yet disconcerting place called Alang? For businesses and governments, Alang is a place of convenience but growing concern. Here we see the enduring struggle between cost and conscience unfold.

Environmental groups, workers’ unions, and local groups continue to speak against and protest as India rapidly continues to develop and contribute to the world economy. On the other hand, what would happen to those 40,000 people who depend upon Alang for their survival?

Sarah Winkler captured the essence of the controversy when she wrote, “However, some businessmen from India argue that it’s unfair when Westerners impose their own standards on Alang’s industry. By the nature of its specific economic and social conditions, Alang simply can’t maintain these standards. Relatively speaking, they say, conditions there aren’t as bad as at other industrial sites in the country. And those Westerners who oppose shipbreaking in their communities would rather see this job done anywhere but in their own backyards.”

Red Dawn

On April 7, Alang disclosed its lowest Light Displacement Tonnage (LDT) of 10.06199 lakh in over a decade. According to reports, only 113 ships were scheduled for disassembling.

“Weaker domestic steel prices and fluctuating USD-INR exchange rates made it difficult for Indian buyers to offer competitive prices,” according to Dr Anand Hiremath, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Global Marketing Systems Inc (GMS). In spite of the economic setback, Alang continues to lead in the ship recycling industry.

In 2006, journalist Ramesh Menon expressed his fears for the future regarding Alang and the practice of shipbreaking. “Most of the ships that come to Alang are from United States, Yugoslavia, Poland, Russia, China and Japan,” Menon wrote. “Nearly 300 ships are broken at Alang every year. Shipbreakers fear that the numbers will now fall at Alang as there is stiff competition from Bangladesh and China, which are also violating laws to woo business.”

Safer Waters?

Responses from nations vary. The United States leads the effort for regulatory inspections and oversight of Alang, including the Netherlands and Great Britain. Effective since June 2025, The Hong Kong Convention adopted a resolution, stating their purpose of “ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment.” Bangladesh and Pakistan have signed the document.

Russia

Russian authorities are reported to be “exploring” options of using Alang for its oil tankers, due to Western sanctions. Will Russia eventually build a portion of its naval ships in India?

For those who work and live amid the grit and sand of Alang, only time will tell what will become of this polarizing place.

“Gujarat, say activists, is particularly lax at protecting workers in hazardous industries, and would rather have the ship. Even chemicals that are banned elsewhere in the world are in production here.” ~ Ramesh Menon

Editor’s Disclaimer:
This article was contributed by a new writer to Presence News. The views expressed are their own. Presence News encourages diverse voices and perspectives and welcomes thoughtful, well-researched contributions from our writing team.