2. Some general remarks on scrapping and recirculation
When a ship no longer is used for its intended purpose, it is of course beneficial that the materials are taken care of: recirculated. For quite some time scrapping and recirculation have to a great extent been taking place on beaches in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan – with substantial benefits to those countries. It suffices to mention that production of steel from old materials requires only one third of the energy necessary for production from raw materials, and that the scrapping provides work for thousands. However, there is a dark side: working and safety conditions on the beaches may – to put it mildly – be miserable. Furthermore, there are huge pollution problems, e.g. regarding oils and asbestos.