Alang is a coastal town in the State of Gujarat in India. It is a center of the shipbreaking industry.
The shipyards at Alang recycle about 50% of the ships salvaged in the world. The
yards are located on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of
Bhavnagar. Before shipbreaking began there in June 1983 the beach at Alang was pristine and unspoiled. It is now seriously
contaminated with toxic substances and asbestos.
Large supertankers, car ferries
and container ships are beached during high tide, and as the tide
recedes, hundreds of manual laborers dismantle each ship, salvaging what they can, and reducing the rest into scrap. Tens of
thousands of low-paid jobs are supported by this activity, and millions of tons of steel
are recovered.
The salvage yards at Alang have generated controversy about working conditions, workers' living conditions, and the impact on
the environment. One major problems is that despite many serious work-related injuries, the nearest full service hospital is 50
kilometers away in Bhavnagar. Alang itself is served by a small Red Cross
hospital which offers only limited services.
A shipyard at Alang is possibly the model for the shipyard described in the Iain
Banks novel, The Business (1999).
Related article
The U.S. Navy has a Ship-Submarine
recycling program.
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