835 Ships Sold to Scrap Yards in 2017
More than 800 large oceangoing commercial vessels were sold to the scrap yards in 2017, according to the latest data from the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.
Of the 835 ships sold to scrap yards, 543 vessels – or 80.3 percent of total tonnage dismantled globally – were broken down on the beaches of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
However, the number of vessels and total GT scrapped in the tree nations decreased compared to 2016. Still, of the 20.7 million GT dismantled worldwide in 2017, 16.6 million GT was on the beaches.
India scrapped the most ships in numbers, but Bangladesh broke most in terms of GT, indicating that it was the preferred destination for the larger vessels.
Turkey, EU and the rest of the world scrapped more vessels in 2017 than in 2016, while China had an increase in number of ships but a decrease in total GT recycled.
The Platform documented an increase in offshore units that have gone for scrap in the wake of the oil and gas downturn. Of the 91 units identified as demolished in the last three years combined, 41 ended up on the beaches of South Asia.
