Ship Breaking Insight Report

1. 2013 : 1119 ships for scrapping
Container ships on the rise
By unit
1 India, 347 (31%)
2 China, 239 (21%)
3 Bangladesh, 211(19%)
4 Turkey, 136 (12%)
5 Pakistan, 104 (9%)
6 Denmark, 19 (2%)
By tonnage of metal
recycled
1 India 2.9 millions de t
(31%)
2 Bangladesh 2.3 millions
de t (24%)
3 China, 1.9 million de t
(20%)
4 Pakistan 1.4 million de t
(15%)
5 Turkey 514,000 t (5%)
6 Denmark 33,000 t (0.4%)
By category
1 bulker : 387 (35%)
2 general cargo : 245
(22%)
3 container ship : 180
(16%)
4 tanker : 164 (15%)
5 Ro Ro : 39 (3%)
With 1119 ships broken up this year, 2013 confirms the good health of the
ship-breaking industry. The rhythm appeared to have noticeably slowed down
compared to an outstanding year 2012 – decrease of 16% in number of ships
demolished and 20% in tonnage of metal recycled – but 2013 is still by far the
2nd best year for the industry since 2006, start-up of the Ship-breaking
bulletin (293 ships). The total tonnage of metal recycled in 2013 exceeds 9
millions. The volume of waste produced by the demolition of ships amounts
to around 500.000 t.
667 of the broken up ships (60%) have been previously detained with their
crew for non compliance to the international safety regulations. Port state
controls play their full part in the cleansing of the world fleet.
327 ships (29%) measured over 200 m in length; 39 ships over 300 m have
been demolished in 2013 compared to 31 in 2012 and 24 in 2011. The giants
have started heading for the ship-breaking yards. The average age of ships
leaving the ocean is getting younger: 28 years in 2013, 31 years in 2006.
The problems of container ships, beast of burden of globalization
The number of scrapped container ships is again on the rise. They account for
16% of the vessels demolished in 2013 and more than 21% of the tonnage of
metal recycled. The typical container ship to be broken up belongs to a
European ship-owner (69%), often a German one (48%). 97% of them have
been scrapped in Asia. In every case, the container-ship bound to demolition

2. flies away from Europe. With an average age of 22 years, the container ship
family contributes largely to the rejuvenation of the fleet to be demolished.
The race for productivity and economies of scale favours the large container
ships and pushes the smaller units towards demolition. The issue of
weakness and premature aging of the whole family arises.
To date, the causes of the MOL Comfort disaster – built in 2008, with a
capacity of 8100 teu (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), fractured and sunk in the
Indian Ocean in the summer of 2013 – remain unknown: experts, through
simulation and calculation of bending moments and stresses, cannot explain
yet the buckling deformation and the fracture of the hull. They can only
recommend regular inspections of the hull integrity, a container weight
verification prior to loading and a speed reduction for container ships similar or
over than 8000 teu in rough seas.
Container ships less than 8000 teu too suffer from the accumulation of
physical, operational or accidental stresses. In July 2013, the Hansa
Brandenburg – built in 2003, 1740 teu – was devastated by a major fire, towed
to Mauritius, unloaded of the undamaged containers (*) and finally convoyed
in tow and in the utmost discretion for demolition to Gadani (Pakistan). On
December 29th, 2013, the MSC Monterey – built in 2007, 4160 teu – had to
stop her voyage to Boston after à 1.50 m long crack was discovered on the
main deck; she found a refuge in St Mary’s Bay, south of Newfoundland.
Hansa Brandenburg, July
15, 2013
December 10, 2013 – pictorial of the beaching © Shahid
© Leonhardt & Blumberg
12:40 pm local time
1:03 pm

3. 1:05 pm
1:11 pm
1:14 pm
Asia
The Top 5 ship-breaking countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Turkey,
Pakistan) have received 92% of the total number of ships broken up (1029
ships).
India saved its leadership in terms of units as well as tonnage, ahead of
Bangladesh and China, but suffered a fall of 35% in its activity; in 2013, its
relative share dropped to 26% compared to 40% in 2012. The other major
ship-breaking countries saw a decline of 10% except China where the number
of ships delivered in the scrapyards has been higher (+15%).
Europe
374 ships (33%) were flying a European flag or belonged to companies
established in the European Union or the European Free Trade Association
(EFTA), and 34 % were built in those countries.
The Parliament of the European Union condemned the “reckless” scrapping of
old ships flying the flag of an EU member state. A wishful thinking: in 2013,
only 8% of them have been dismantled in Europe. One in five ship broken up
in an Asian scrapyard has been deflagged prior to the last voyage. The
German ship-owners performed brilliantly the art of camouflage with 29% of
broken up vessels deflagged to Comoros, St. Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, Sierra
Leone or Togo.
United States
The United States also deflag their ships: the Presidents’ fleet – Adams, Polk,
Jackson, Truman – adopted the colors of St. Kitts and Nevis and Sierra Leone
prior to their beaching for demolition in India or Bangladesh.
The Vandal State of the year
The 2013 « Vandal of the year » title is awarded to Canada for the « loss » in

4. the Atlantic Ocean of the cruise ship Lyubov Orlova, departed from St. John’s,
Newfoundland in January (**) and the persistent irresponsibility regarding the
export of old ships in risky conditions.
Canada does not lack resourcefulness: following the beaching of Canadian
Miner in Nova Scotia in 2012, here is the disappearing of Lyubov Orlova in the
North Atlantic and coming soon the sinking of Kathryn Spirit in the St.
Lawrence River or elsewhere; these three ships were originally bound for
demolition respectively in Turkey, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
December 2012 and October 2013
Kathryn Spirit, waiting to sink © Info Suroit
(*) “Hansa Brandenburg: another container ship riddled with problems”,
September 30, 2013
(**) Lyubov Orlova, the Ghost Ship
update - January 31st
http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/maritime-security-asia/top-10-documentary-films-on-ship-breaking-industry/