Aaron Wens Describes the Art of Ship Breaking
By: Aaron Wens
Tags: Shipping, Environmental Impact, Virginia, Maritime

Aaron Wens Describes the Art of Ship Breaking

If there’s anything that Aaron Wens understands, it is the anatomical makeup of a marine vessel. These structures are massive and require enormous amounts of material.

But what happens when a ship is no long sea-worthy? It seems a waste to abandon all the parts and finished materials that go into creating a ship.

For centuries, ship breaking has been the answer. Aaron Wens discusses the value offered by ship recycling, as well as its positive impact on the environment.

What is the Lifespan of a Marine Vessel or Ship?

Depending upon the size, make, and model of a ship, marine vessels have an average lifespan of 25–30 years. Once a ship has reached a ripe age, there is often too much corrosion and metal fatigue inside and outside the ship for it to be worthwhile to repair. Shipping companies risk losing crew members and precious cargo if they try to extend the life of older ships.

But just because the ship shouldn’t sail any more doesn’t mean that it can’t be broken down and parts reused for other ships.

What is Ship Breaking?

After a shipping company has gotten all the life it can out of a ship, it costs too much money to store it. It is also not feasible to “trash” the ship as there are no dumpsters or landfills large enough for old ships. In 2013, over 29 million tonnes of material came from demolished ships.

Instead, companies can sell their washed out ships for scrap. Ship breaking companies take the ship and hire people to pull it apart, piece by piece. While some parts are unsalvageable, the majority of a ship’s parts can be recycled and reused.

Even though ship breaking can be a dangerous business, Aaron Wens is excited to see major industry reforms in an effort to protect ship breaking workers in developing countries.

Main Benefits of Ship Breaking

Marine vessels are built primarily from steel, and the process of creating steal from raw materials emits enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the air. Further, the more ship builders convert raw iron-ore into steel, the greater the air and water pollution.

The Maritime Executive revealed, “Scientifically published estimates suggest 86 percent less air pollution, 76 percent less water pollution, 40 percent reduction in water usage while making steel from scrap than from iron-ore.”

When repurposing scrap metal for reuse, the process is far less intensive. That’s why ship breaking is considered one of the eco-friendliest industry practices in the world.

What Parts are Salvaged When Breaking Down a Ship?

Some ship breaking companies are so thorough that literally any part not corroded is repurposed and sold to shipbuilders and other industries. However, some parts are more commonly reused than others. Here are the most commonly scrapped parts:

Steel

Salvaged steel is the most valuable material retrieved in ship breaking. As noted above, the process of creating steel from scratch can be extremely unhealthy for the environment. Even so, many of the world’s buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure depend upon the availability of steel.

Hardware

Screws, nuts, bolts, frames, etc. are all fair game during ship recycling. After cleaning, these parts can be used again in a variety of construction projects.

Interior Fixtures

Certain parts of a ship are identical to the inside of an apartment. Additionally, there is a vast amount of computer equipment and technology in the vessel. Ship recycling extracts these interior fixtures and features before selling them to refurbishing companies.

Aaron Wens concludes that the ship breaking industry is an important aspect of the greater nautical industry. Although some ships can be intentionally sank to create artificial reefs, the majority of ships after they reach the end of their lifespan need to be dismantled.