page_title: Recycling by product
section_title: Ship breaking
hierarchical_section_title: Recycling by product / Ship breaking
caption_attribution_description: English: A general cargo ship moored in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. About 30 to 40 years old, it is now ready to be scrapped. Français&#160;: Un navire cargo à quai à Cap-Haïtien, Haïti. Vieux de 30 à 40 ans et sans nom, il est sans doute prêt à être démoli ou à finir comme épave.
context_page_description: Products made from a variety of materials can be recycled using a number of processes.
context_section_description: Ship breaking is a type of ship disposal involving breaking up ships for scrap recycling, with the hulls being discarded in ship graveyards. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially steel, to be reused. Equipment on board the vessel can also be reused. Until the late 20th century, ship breaking took place in port cities of industrialized countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States.  Today, most ship breaking yards are in Alang in India, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Aliağa in Turkey and Gadani near Karachi in Pakistan. Ship breaking is one example that has associated environmental, health, and safety risks for the area where the operation takes place; balancing all these considerations is an environmental justice problem.
caption: A 30- to 40-year-old general cargo ship anchored off Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, before being broken up.
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