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8/2/2019 Alang- E
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Case Study on AlangShip Recycling Yard, India 28th
November 2011
Submitted By: Kannan Unni TS MBA 10032, Section - B
AlangShip Recycling Yard, India
Alang is a small town located in Bhavnagar district in the Indian State of Gujarat. What had
made it famous is that it is the largest ship salvage dock where approximately 50% of the total
number of ships dismantled every year are recycled. The yards are located on the Gulf of
Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of Bhavnagar. Large supertankers, car ferries, container ships,and a dwindling number of ocean liners are beached during high tide, and as the tide recedes,
hundreds of manual laborers dismantle each ship, salvaging what they can and reducing the rest
into scrap. Tens of thousands of jobs are supported by this activity and millions of tonsof steel are recovered. After the recovery process is done these materials are recycled and sold
out to companies and public. Almost every component of the ship that gets converted would find
its buyers. So it is technically a very important industry for the people of this locality. Now how
is becomes strategically important is that there are thousands of business that depends on the shipyard and its recycling plants and thousands of people are dependent on it. So there is no doubt
that Alang sums up their pockets for their daily bread. But the question that environmentalists
ask is whether these people know what they are dealing with or do they know the consequence
and the effect that these materials and process have in their lives and to the environment in thelong run? Well the point is when it is a question about hunger; ignorance is bliss and for the
same reason majority of the population doesnt know what lies beneath.
Clemenceau Controversy
The French air craft carrier was decommissioned in the year 2004 and the same year the ship set
sail to Alang coast for dismantling. As soon as the world knew about it Green Peace protested
Frances idea to outsource the scrapping of 27,000 ton warship. The reason they described wasthat the ship had excessive deposits and used toxic substances such as asbestos, PCBs- printed
circuit boards, lead, mercury and other toxic materials and chemicals and therefore it is an open
violation of the Basel Convention of 1992. The treaty was brought in to place to restrict the
movement of Hazardous wastes and their disposal by the nations but especially to preventdeveloped countries from dumping their wastes in the developing countries. The ship reached
Indian coast on 6th
January 2006 and Supreme Court of India issued a temporary ban againstentering the port post which the ship left India and headed for Egypt. This was when Alang was
brought in to lime light and Clemenceau was just one among the hundreds of ships that gets
dismantled there every year.
The process
The ships are brought to the dock during high tides and then gets grounded. The workers
dismantle the ship and converts it in to scrap which are then segregated and are recycled. Nowthere are many companies which communicate about the available materials to the rest of the
world and purchases are made. A large portion of the materials are sold off but what remains onthe soil and water are oil, mercury, lead and asbestos. The contamination of natural resources by
these materials can have heavy implications on the lives of people who are dealing with it dailyand the environment. Environmentalists note that before ship breaking began there in June 1983the beach at Alang was pristine and unspoiled. However, locals say that the work provides a
reasonably paid job by local standards, with a steady income used to support their families. Allsaid it is also important to note the concerns of the workers of the industry and the residents of
Alang.
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Case Study on AlangShip Recycling Yard, India 28th
November 2011
Submitted By: Kannan Unni TS MBA 10032, Section - B
The Concerns
The salvage yards at Alang have generated controversy about working conditions, workers'
living conditions, and the impact on the environment. One major problem is that despite many
serious work-related injuries, the nearest full service hospital is 50 kilometers away in
Bhavnagar. Alang itself is served by a small Red Cross hospital that offers only limited services.Insufficiencies related to the adopted procedures include, but may not be limited to precautions,
training and awareness and to facilities available. Furthermore, the implementation of measures
for improvement will affect not only the ship-dismantling facility but may also raise issuesrelating to procedures prior to dismantling, as well as to the destiny of the waste or material
streams derived from the extraction process. Problems generated by the insufficiencies of current
ship-dismantling practices have consequences for not only the environment but also for
occupational safety and health of the workers.
By occupying and expanding the areas required for breaking, the dismantling industry affects
both the local surrounding, environment and society. The established local community may be
relying on basic industries such as fishery and agriculture, hence conflict of interests may
become an issue. Discharges and emissions to sea, ground and air cause both acute and long termpollution. The lack of containment to prevent toxins from entering the environment is a major
concern.
The Future
Japan and the Gujarat government have joined hands to upgrade the existing Alang shipyard.
The two parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which focuses on technology
transfer and financial assistance from Japan to assist in the upgrading of operations at Alang tomeet international standards. This is a part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, a larger
partnership between the Japanese and Gujarati governments. Under this plan, Japan will address
the environmental implications of ship breaking in Alang, as well as devising a marketingstrategy. The project is to be carried out as a public-private partnership. The project's aim is tomake this shipyard the largest International Maritime Organization-compliant ship recycling yard
in the world.
All said and done how far are these steps and measures going to help the workers and theenvironment is a question that still remains. What needs to be done is to create awareness
amongst the workers about what they are dealing with and how it is affecting their life and
environment. The companies have to make sure that the working conditions for them areimproved considerably to ensure high safety standards and living conditions. Any steps needed
to help the industry flourish could be done provided the companies and the government keep
environment and people in mind. Because then and only then the process could be called
sustainable development.
Web-Links that helped
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alang
http://www.alangtoday.com/aboutalang.asp
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/alang-sby.htm