Ship Graveyard: The Last Landing of the Giants (6 photos). How it's made, how it works, how it works Entertainment and relaxation
And regions of the country. The second largest city in the country and the most important port of Bangladesh.
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The city has been known since the 1st century AD. In 1338, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah captured Chittagong. He built a road from Chandpur to Chittagong. In 1538, the Arakanese restored their rule. The Mughals captured Chittagong in 1666. From 1538 to 1666, the Portuguese raided and practically ruled Chittagong. Since 1760, the city has belonged to the East India Company. During World War II, it was the target of attacks by the Japanese, but they were unable to capture the city, as well as British India. In 1947-1971 it belonged to Pakistan, since 1971 after the war of independence it belonged to Bangladesh. From here, news of the country's declaration of independence spread throughout the country.
Demining the port after the War of Independence
As a result of the war, the berths and water area of the port were mined, and the fairways and places at the berths were blocked by sunken ships. The delivery of food was blocked, and the threat of famine loomed over the newly independent country.
“...Tourists used to be brought here,” says one of the local residents. ─ They were shown how people dismantle multi-ton structures with almost bare hands. But now there is no way for us to come here..."
I walked a couple of kilometers along the road that runs along the Bay of Bengal north from the city of Chittagong to a place where 12 - a kilometer stretch of coastline are located 80 ship dismantling yards.
Each is hidden behind a high fence covered with barbed wire, there are guards everywhere and signs prohibiting photography. Strangers are not welcome here.
Ship recycling in developed countries is highly regulated and very expensive, so this dirty work is carried out mainly by Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. In the evening I hired a fishing boat and decided to make an outing to one of the shipyards.
Thanks to the tide, we easily scurried between huge oil tankers and container ships, sheltering in the shadow of their giant pipes and hulls. Some ships were still intact, others resembled skeletons: stripped of their steel plating, they exposed the insides of deep, dark holds.
Sea giants serve on average 25 −30 years, most of those delivered for disposal were launched in 1980 -e. Now that the increased cost of insurance and maintenance has made older ships unprofitable, their value lies in the steel of the hulls.
We found ourselves here at the end of the day, when the workers had already gone home, and the ships rested in silence, occasionally disturbed by the splash of water and the clanking of metal coming from their bellies. The smell of sea water and fuel oil was in the air.
Making our way along one of the ships, we heard ringing laughter and soon saw a group of boys. They floundered near a half-submerged metal skeleton: they climbed onto it and dived into the water.
Nearby, fishermen were setting up nets in hopes of a good catch of rice fish, a local delicacy. Suddenly, very close by, a shower of sparks fell from a height of several floors. “You can’t come here! - the worker shouted from above. “What, are you tired of living?” Ocean-going vessels are designed to last for many years in extreme conditions.
No one thinks about the fact that sooner or later they will have to be dismantled into pieces, many of which will contain toxic materials like asbestos and lead. Ship recycling in developed countries is highly regulated and very expensive, so this dirty work is carried out mainly by Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Labor here is very cheap, and there is almost no control of any kind. True, the situation in the industry is gradually improving, but this process is very protracted.
For example, India has finally introduced new requirements for worker and environmental safety. However, in Bangladesh, where last year they dismantled as much 194 vessel, this work remains very dangerous.
At the same time, it brings in a lot of money. Activists say that in three to four months, by investing about five million dollars in dismantling one ship at a shipyard in Bangladesh, you can get an average profit of up to a million.
Jafar Alam, former head of the association of ship recycling companies in Bangladesh, disagrees with these figures:
“... It all depends on the class of the vessel and on many other factors, for example, on current steel quotes...”
Whatever the profit, it cannot arise from scratch: more 90 % of materials and equipment find a second life.
The process begins with the remanufacturing company purchasing the vessel from an international used vessel broker. To deliver the vessel to the dismantling site, the company hires a captain specializing in “parking lot” huge ships on a strip of beach a hundred meters wide.
After the ship gets stuck in the coastal sand, all liquids are drained from it and sold: the remains of diesel fuel, engine oil and fire-fighting substances. Then the mechanisms and internal equipment are removed from it.
Everything is for sale, without exception, from huge engines, batteries and kilometers of copper wiring, to the bunks on which the crew slept, portholes, lifeboats and electronic devices from the captain's bridge. Then the devastated building is surrounded by workers who came to work from the poorest areas of the country.
First, they dismember the ship using acetylene cutters. Then loaders drag the fragments to the shore: the steel will be melted down and sold - it will be used in the construction of buildings.
“...Good business, you say? But just think about the chemicals that are poisoning our land! ─ Mohammed Ali Shaheen, an activist of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, is indignant. ─You haven’t yet seen young widows whose husbands died under torn structures or suffocated in the holds... "
11 years of my life 37 Shahin is trying to draw public attention to the hard labor of workers in shipyards.
The entire industry, he said, is controlled by several influential families from Chittagong, who also own related businesses, in particular metal smelting. Sahin is well aware that his country is in dire need of jobs.
“...I don’t demand a complete stop to ship recycling,” he says. ─ We just need to create normal working conditions...”
Shahin is convinced that it is not only unprincipled compatriots who are to blame for the current situation.
“... Who in the West will allow the environment to be polluted openly by dismantling ships right on the beach? Then why is it considered normal to get rid of ships that have become unnecessary here, paying pennies and constantly endangering the lives and health of people? ... "
- he is indignant. Going to the nearby barracks, I saw the workers for whom Shahin was so offended. Their bodies are covered with deep scars, which are called here “Chittagong tattoos”. Some men are missing fingers.
In one of the huts I met a family whose four sons worked at the shipyard. Senior, 40 -year-old Mahabab once witnessed the death of a man: a fire in the hold broke out from a cutter.
“...I didn’t even come to this shipyard for money, afraid that they wouldn’t just let me go,” he said. ─ Owners don’t like to wash their dirty laundry in public...”
Mahabab shows a photograph on the shelf:
“...This is my brother Jahangir. He was engaged in cutting metal at the shipyard of Ziri Subedar, where he died in 2008 year..."
Together with other workers, the brother spent three days unsuccessfully trying to separate a large section from the ship's hull.
Then it started to rain, and the workers decided to take shelter under it. At this moment, the structure could not stand it and came off. Third brother 22 -year-old Alamgir is not at home now.
While working on a tanker, he fell through a hatch and flew 25 meters. Luckily for him, water accumulated at the bottom of the hold, softening the blow from the fall.
Alamgir's partner went down on a rope and pulled him out of the hold. The very next day, Alamgir quit his job, and now he delivers tea to the shipyard managers in the office.
Younger brother Amir works as a worker's assistant and also cuts metal. It's wiry 18 - a year old guy, there are no scars on his smooth skin yet. I asked Amir if he was afraid to work, knowing what happened to his brothers. "Yes"“,” he answered, smiling shyly.
Suddenly, during our conversation, the roof shook with a roar. There was a sound like thunder.
I looked outside.
“...Oh, it was a piece of metal that fell off the ship,” Amir said indifferently. ─ We hear this every day...”
Marine recycling centers: map
At low tide, workers drag a five-ton cable to winch the fragments of the ship that form during its dismantling to shore.
These guys claim they already have 14 — this is the age at which you are allowed to work in ship recycling. Shipyard owners give preference to young disassemblers - they are cheaper and do not suspect the danger that threatens them.
In addition, they can get into the most inaccessible corners of the ship.
Steel is cut from ship hulls in fragments, each weighing between 500 kilograms. Using scrap materials as supports, loaders drag these sections onto trucks.
Pieces of steel are melted down into reinforcement and used in the construction of buildings.
Loaders spend days stuck in the mud, which contains heavy metals and toxic paint: such mud spreads from ships throughout the area during high tide.
Workers armed with cutters work in pairs, protecting each other. It will take them three to six months to completely dismantle the ship, depending on its size.
It took several days to cut through the decks of the ship L eona I. And then a huge part of it suddenly separates, “spitting out” steel fragments to the side where the shipyard management was located. This cargo ship was built in Croatia, in the city of Split, 30 years ago - this is the average service life of large-tonnage sea vessels.
Workers warm themselves by fires made from gaskets removed from pipe joints, without thinking that such gaskets may contain asbestos.
Near 300 people gathered for the funeral of Rana Babu from the village of Dunot at the foot of the Himalayas. The wound was just 22 years, he worked on dismantling a ship and died from an explosion of accumulated gas.
“...We are burying a young guy,” lamented one of those who came to say goodbye. ─ When will this end? ... "
Photos: Mike Hettwer
Chittagong lies in the east of Bangladesh, at the mouth of the Karnaphuli River. It is the country's most important industrial center and international port, as well as its second largest city. In addition, Chittagong is considered the most famous tourist destination in Bangladesh, which is a must-see for all guests traveling to the countries of this region. The reason for this is its favorable location: the city is located between picturesque mountainous areas and the sea. Moreover, the environs of Chittagong can boast not only of a good sea coast with an abundance of shallows and islets, but also a large number of ancient monasteries of different cultures, as well as distinctive hill tribes inhabiting the famous Chittagong Hills. Of course, the city itself is also interesting, famous for its many architectural and historical monuments of different eras and cultures.
Climate and weather
Chittagong is located in the tropical monsoon climate zone. The summer season is characterized by rainy and rather hot weather; the air temperature at this time fluctuates in the range +23...+34 °C, and sometimes can reach +38 °C. Winters are drier and cooler, with average daily temperatures within +12...+25 °С.
The best time to visit Chittagong is during the cool season from October to February. Traveling in April and May is not recommended, as high air temperatures and humidity make staying here during this period very uncomfortable.
Nature
Chittagong is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, near the famous Chittagong Hills. The city lies in an area with rather hilly terrain, on the banks of a river Karnapouli. There are no natural lakes within Chittagong, but there are small artificial ponds.
About 60 km from the city lies the Chittagong Hills region, covered in large numbers of forested hills interspersed with cliffs and gorges covered in thick jungle cover, as well as bamboo, wild grapes and vines. This area has a rather atypical terrain for the country and includes river valleys Matamukhur, Feni, Karnapuli And Shangu.
Attractions
Chittagong was roughly founded at the turn of the new era and has experienced many dramatic events over its long history. Therefore, it is not surprising that the peculiarity of the city is the mixture of different architectural styles and cultures. The main attraction of Chittagong is the old Sadarghat district, which lies along the northern banks of the Karnapuli River. Since ancient times, it was inhabited by wealthy merchants, and with the arrival of the Portuguese, the Paterghatta enclave with rich mansions and villas was built on its territory. By the way, Sadarghat is one of the few areas in Bangladesh where Christianity is still preserved. Now the main attractions of this area are:
- Quadam Mubarak, Chandanpura and Shahi Jama-e-Masjid mosques,
- shrine Dargah Sakh Amanat,
- majestic courthouse complex,
- Bada Shah mausoleum,
- many old houses and mansions of different sizes and styles.
An interesting object is the sanctuary Bayezida-Bostami, which attracts a large number of pilgrims. Particularly noteworthy is its pond with turtles, which are considered to be the direct descendants of evil spirits (genies) placed in the bodies of these reptiles.
Also, the most popular attractions of Chittagong include:
- Ethnological Museum,
- Baitul Falah Mosque,
- Memorial Cemetery for World War II Victims,
- Foy reservoir (8 km from the center),
- Patenga beach.
The surrounding area of Chittagong deserves special attention, or rather the hill region, which includes a large area of hills with forests and picturesque gorges covered with jungle, wild grapes and bamboo. This atypical region in terms of culture and topography is home to Buddhist tribes who have still preserved their original culture.
Nutrition
Chittagong has quite a large number of restaurants and eateries offering national, Indian, Thai, Chinese and European cuisines. True, it must be said that there are not many establishments with a European menu here. But everywhere there are street stalls offering local delicacies and sweets. You must be prepared for the fact that locals love spicy and fatty foods, which can initially be quite heavy and unusual for Europeans. For this reason, tourists are advised to dine at hotels and visit the best restaurants in the city.
If we talk directly about local cuisine, then it is based on rice and all kinds of hot spices, as well as lentils, vegetables, fish and meat. Moreover, the taste, color and aroma of each dish depends directly on seasonings and spices. For example, there is even a whole class of rice dishes called “ biryani", which differ in the number of additives and methods of preparation. Also, the most common national dishes include “ doom"(vegetables, meat and rice baked in a pot), lamb kebab in flatbread " kati-roti», « pilaf"(pilaf), lamb ribs " chap", fish curry in yogurt " dahi-maach" and potato cakes " puri».
Sweets in Bengali cuisine are very unusual and varied. First of all, it is recommended to try the sweet curd balls " Roshgolla", pies " pita", candies " mishti"and sweet vermicelli" shemai».
The most common drinks here are sweet milk tea, fermented milk drink " lassi"and fruit juices. Alcohol is only available in hotels for foreigners and in European restaurants.
Accommodation
In Chittagong, travelers can find quite acceptable accommodation options, as there are a fairly large number of decent mid-level hotels. Moreover, the cost of living in local hotels is quite low; for example, here you can easily find a good room for $30. The best hotels in the city include Hotel Agrabad 5*, Well Park Residence And The Peninsula Chittagong. Those who want to find a middle-class establishment should pay attention to Hotel Al-Faisal, Hotel Golden Inn, Hotel Bandargaon or Hotel Saint Martin. A relatively good economy class hotel is Hotel Miskha.
Entertainment and relaxation
In Chittagong, like in other cities of Bangladesh, there are no nightclubs, discos and bars familiar to Europeans. However, one should not think that there are no places for leisure activities. An excellent place for picnics and outdoor recreation is Foy Pond, which is located in a picturesque green area. There is a small amusement park here. Lake Foya", and there is a zoo nearby.
It must be said that this is not the only amusement park in the city. So, tourists can visit the parks here:
- Zia-Xishu,
- Karnafulli-Sishu,
- Mini Bangladesh and Jatisongkho,
- Shitakunda Eco Park which is a beautiful place with a pond and beautiful hills.
Another scenic spot in Chittagong is the sandy beach. Patenga, which looks especially good from the street of the Maritime Academy. Outside the city there is another beach - a natural beach Cattali with mangrove forest.
The most beloved and popular sport in Chittagong is cricket, while football and tennis are also quite common. The city has a fairly large number of stadiums and sports grounds. The main one is the multi-purpose stadium MA Aziz Stadium, where major cricket and football competitions take place.
In general, the main options for spending time in Chittagong are walking around the old district, sightseeing and searching for colorful souvenirs in local eastern markets. An atypical area for the country is the so-called red light district, where pornographic videos and books in the local language are openly sold on the sidewalks.
Purchases
Chittagong is a large and modern city, so there are colorful street markets and large shopping centers, as well as supermarkets and souvenir shops. The best place for shopping is the AFMI Plaza shopping center, which boasts a large number of branded clothing, accessories and perfume stores. Also very popular are such shopping centers as:
- Central Plaza,
- Yunusco City Center,
- Akhtaruzzaman Center,
- Biponi Bitan,
- Chittagong Shopping Complex, etc.
The latter boasts not only the largest sizes, but also the widest selection of stores, as well as low prices.
Those who prefer a more interesting shopping experience are recommended to visit the colorful and noisy city markets, simply abounding with a wide variety of goods. In this case, you must always remember that bargaining is simply necessary here. Moreover, the point is not only that bargaining allows you to reduce the declared price by 2-3 times. In local markets, the process of bargaining is a kind of tradition, so if you do not bargain here, you may offend the seller.
It is recommended to buy souvenirs at markets and specialized stores. Tourists most often bring from here pink pearls, fantastic masks made of coconut shells, unusual wickerwork made of reed and bamboo, handmade fabrics, handicrafts and traditional dolls.
Transport
In Chittagong, in the Patenga district, there is an international Shah Amanat airport, which receives flights from Sylhet and Dhaka, as well as from Kolkata, Muscat, Kuwait, etc. By rail that passes through Chattagong you can go to Sylhet, Dhaka and other cities of the country. The railway station is located on Station Road. From the city of Barisal to Chittagong you can take a ferry, and there are also two bus terminals in the city.
Chittagong's public transport is no different from the capital's. There are overcrowded buses whose drivers never stick to the schedule, as well as taxis, rickshaws and pedicabs. The fare for all types of transport is low. You can and even need to bargain with rickshaw drivers.
You should be prepared for the fact that there is complete chaos on the roads of Chittagong and Dhaka, since almost no one here knows the traffic rules, much less follows them.
Connection
Unfortunately, the quality of the telephone system in Bangladesh is not up to modern standards. However, Chittagong is the largest city in the country, so public telephones are not as uncommon here as in most other cities. They are mainly found in shopping areas and some large stores. You can also make calls from post offices and hotels.
Compared to landline communications, the mobile communications system (GSM 900/1800) is quite well developed. However, its coverage is limited only to the main cities of the country, as well as popular tourist centers. Although in the vicinity of Chittagong it is quite stable. The country has a fairly large number of small operators with an extremely confusing tariff system, so choosing a local SIM card here is quite difficult.
Internet access is available in large hotels and internet cafes. The latter are located at the intersection of Jubilee and Station roads, as well as next to the GEC highway. The cost of one hour of session ranges from $0.2-0.3.
Safety
A special feature of Chittagong is the intense and chaotic traffic, for this reason you need to be very careful when crossing roads, especially in places that are not equipped with traffic lights. In crowded places and crowded buses, there is a high probability of becoming a victim of numerous local pickpockets. For this reason, it is recommended to take all possible precautions. The outskirts of the city are extremely deprived and unsafe areas and should be avoided. The center of Chittagong is much safer, but it is advisable to avoid walking at night.
Due to the local weather, many synthetic fabrics are not suitable for wearing here, so preference should be given to lightweight clothing made from natural fabrics. Also, due to high humidity and unsanitary conditions, it is necessary to pay increased attention to hygiene.
Business climate
Chittagong is a major industrial center of Bangladesh. About 40% of the country's heavy industry (oil refining, steel, automobile, chemical and other industries) is located in the city and its surrounding areas. The knitting and pharmaceutical industries, production of fertilizers, cement and cables are also developed here. Moreover, Chittagong is the largest port of Bangladesh, accounting for about 80% of the country's total imports and exports. Such a favorable location of the city and its developed industrial sector attracts investors here.
Real estate
Basically, the demand for real estate in Chittagong is supported by fans of oriental culture and investment companies who consider the local market as a promising investment of their financial resources. The city is quite large, so the choice of objects here is quite wide: office buildings, apartments, industrial premises and houses by the sea. At the same time, there is not yet such a high problem with overpopulation as in the capital, although the population is also large.
In Bangladesh, you should always bargain everywhere. The fact is that there are practically no stable prices for goods and services. The only exceptions are large state-owned stores, where all prices are fixed.
Moreover, even in public transport, which supposedly has a clear pricing system, if you really want, you can reduce the fee several times. This is explained by clearly inflated requirements for foreign guests of the country, at the sight of which local residents sharply increase their price requests. However, when the client knows the prices, they easily make concessions. In addition, Islamic traditions require compliance with the traditional bargaining procedure here, which means you should not treat it as an attempt to rob you, because for many Bangladeshis this is a common trading practice.
It turns out this place is not the only one.
Like everything made by man, from cars and trucks to airplanes and locomotives, ships have a lifespan, and when that time is up, they are scrapped. Such large hulks, of course, contain a lot of metal, and it is extremely cost-effective to gut them and recycle the metal. Welcome to Chittagong (Chittagong)- one of the world's largest ship scrapping centers. Up to 200,000 people worked here at the same time.
Chittagong accounts for half of all steel produced in Bangladesh.
After World War II, shipbuilding began to experience an unprecedented boom, with a huge number of metal ships being built around the world and more and more in developing countries. However, the question of disposing of spent ships soon arose. It turned out to be more economical and profitable to dismantle old ships for scrap in poor developing countries, where tens of thousands of low-paid workers dismantled old ships several times cheaper than in Europe.
Photo 3.
In addition, factors such as strict health and environmental protection requirements and expensive insurance played an important role. All this made scrapping ships in developed European countries unprofitable. Here such activities are limited mainly to the dismantling of military vessels.
Photo 4.
Recycling of old ships in developed countries is currently extremely high also due to the high cost: the cost of disposal of toxic substances such as asbestos, PCBs and those containing lead and mercury is often higher than the cost of scrap metal.
Photo 5.
The development of the ship recycling center in Chittagong dates back to 1960, when the Greek ship MD-Alpine was washed up on the sandy coast of Chittagong after a storm. Five years later, after several unsuccessful attempts to re-refloat the MD Alpine, it was decommissioned. Then local residents began disassembling it for scrap metal.
Photo 6.
By the mid-1990s, a large-scale ship scrapping center had developed in Chittagong. This was also due to the fact that in Bangladesh, when dismantling ships, the cost of scrap metal is higher than in any other country.
However, working conditions at ship dismantling were terrible. Here, one worker died every week due to occupational safety violations. Child labor was used mercilessly.
Photo 7.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh imposed minimum safety standards and also banned all activities that did not meet these conditions.
As a result, the number of jobs decreased, the cost of work increased and the ship recycling boom in Chittagong began to decline.
Photo 8.
About 50% of the world's scrapped ships are recycled in Chittagong, Bangladesh. 3-5 ships come here weekly. About 80 thousand people directly dismantle the ships themselves, and another 300 thousand work in related industries. The daily wage of workers is 1.5-3 dollars (with a working week of 6 days of 12-14 hours), and Chittagong itself is considered one of the dirtiest places in the world.
Decommissioned ships began arriving here in 1969. By now, 180-250 ships are dismantled in Chittagong every year. The coastal strip, where ships find their final refuge, stretches for 20 kilometers.
Photo 9.
Their disposal occurs in the most primitive way - using an autogen and manual labor. Of the 80 thousand local workers, approximately 10 thousand are children from 10 to 14 years old. They are the lowest paid workers, receiving an average of $1.5 per day.
Every year, about 50 people die during ship dismantling, and about 300-400 more become crippled.
Photo 10.
80% of this business is controlled by American, German and Scandinavian companies - the scrap metal is then sent to these same countries. In monetary terms, the dismantling of ships in Chittagong is estimated at 1-1.2 billion dollars a year; in Bangladesh, 250-300 million dollars remain from this amount in the form of salaries, taxes and bribes to local officials.
Photo 11.
Chittagong is one of the dirtiest places in the world. When dismantling ships, engine oils are drained directly onto the shore, where lead waste remains - for example, the maximum permissible concentration for lead here is exceeded by 320 times, the maximum permissible concentration for asbestos is 120 times.
The shacks in which workers and their families live stretch 8-10 km inland. The area of this “city” is about 120 square kilometers, and up to 1.5 million people live in it.
Photo 12.
The port city of Chittagong lies 264 km southeast of Dhaka, approximately 19 km from the mouth of the Karnaphuli River.
It is the second largest population center in Bangladesh and its most famous tourist center. The reason for this is the city’s favorable location between the sea and the mountainous regions, a good sea coast with an abundance of islands and shoals, a large number of ancient monasteries of several cultures, as well as many distinctive hill tribes inhabiting the areas of the famous Chittagong Hills. And the city itself during its history (and it was founded approximately at the turn of the new era) has experienced many interesting and dramatic events, therefore it is famous for its characteristic mixture of architectural styles and different cultures.
Photo 13.
The main decoration of Chittagong is the old district lying along the northern bank of the river Sadarghat. Born along with the city itself somewhere at the turn of the millennium, it has been inhabited since ancient times by wealthy merchants and ship captains, so with the arrival of the Portuguese, who for almost four centuries controlled all trade on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula, the Portuguese enclave of Paterghatta also grew here, built up rich for those times villas and mansions. By the way, this is one of the few areas in the country that has still preserved Christianity.
Photo 14.
Nowadays, in the old part of the city, the fortress-like Shahi-Jama-e-Masjid mosque (1666), the Quadam Mubarak (1719) and Chandanpura mosques (XVII-XVIII centuries), the shrines of Dargah Sakh Amanat and Bayazid Bostami in the heart of the city (there is a large pool with hundreds of turtles, believed to be the descendants of an evil genie), the Bada Shah mausoleum, the magnificent 17th-century court complex on Fairy Hill, and many old mansions of all styles and sizes. Many of them are far from being in the best condition, but by and large this only adds flavor to them. Also worth a visit is the Ethnological Museum in the modern district of Modern City, which has interesting exhibitions telling about the tribes and peoples of Bangladesh, the Memorial Cemetery for Victims of the Second World War, the picturesque Foy Reservoir (approximately 8 km from the city center, locals call it a lake, although it formed during the construction of a railway dam in 1924), as well as Patenga Beach.
Beautiful views of the city from the hills Fairy Hill and the British City area. In addition, here, which is important in conditions of constant local heat, cool sea breezes constantly blow, which makes the area a popular place of residence for wealthy residents of the city. However, most tourists stay in the city literally for one day, since the main point of attraction is the hilly areas east of Chittagong.
Photo 15.
The Chittagong Hills region comprises a large area (an area of about 13,191 sq. km) of forested hills, picturesque gorges and cliffs, overgrown with dense jungle cover, bamboo, vines and wild grapes, and inhabited by hill tribes with their own distinctive culture and way of life. This is one of the rainiest areas of South Asia - up to 2900 mm of precipitation falls here annually, and this is with an average annual air temperature of about +26 C! The region includes four main valleys formed by the Karnaphuli, Feni, Shangu and Matamukhur rivers (however, each river here has two or three names). This is an atypical region of Bangladesh in terms of topography and culture, where mainly Buddhist tribes live and the population density is relatively low, which has allowed the natural environment of the region to be preserved in a relatively untouched state.
Oddly enough, the Chittagong Hills is the most restive region in the country and therefore visits to many areas are limited (without special permits valid for 10-14 days, you can only visit the Rangamati and Kaptai areas).
Photo 16.
Here's what they write about working conditions in this place:
“...Using only blowtorches, sledgehammers and wedges, they cut out huge pieces of sheathing. After these fragments collapse like glacier calving, they are dragged ashore and cut into small pieces weighing hundreds of pounds. They are carried onto trucks by teams of workers singing rhythmic songs, as carrying the very heavy, thick steel plates requires perfect coordination. The metal will be sold at a huge profit for the owners who live in luxurious mansions in the city. ...The cutting of the ship continues from 7:00 to 23:00 by one team of workers with two half-hour breaks, and an hour for breakfast (they have dinner after returning home at 23:00). Total - 14 hours a day, 6-1/2 day work week (half a day on Friday free, according to Islamic requirements). Workers are paid $1.25 per day."
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Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Dismantling of old ships for scrap in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Photo 39.
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
Residents of Bangladesh, in search of income, do not disdain the most dangerous occupation - dismantling old ships.
They immediately made it clear to me that it would not be easy to get to where they were dismantling sea vessels. “Tourists used to be brought here,” says one local resident. “They were shown how people dismantle multi-ton structures with almost bare hands. But now there is no way for us to come here.” I walked a couple of kilometers along the road that runs along the Bay of Bengal north from the city of Chittagong to a place where 80 shipbreaking yards line a 12-kilometer stretch of coastline. Each is hidden behind a high fence covered with barbed wire, there are guards everywhere and signs prohibiting photography. Strangers are not welcome here.
In the evening I hired a fishing boat and decided to make an outing to one of the shipyards. Thanks to the tide, we easily scurried between huge oil tankers and container ships, sheltering in the shadow of their giant pipes and hulls. Some ships were still intact, others resembled skeletons: stripped of their steel plating, they exposed the insides of deep, dark holds. Sea giants last an average of 25–30 years; most of those delivered for disposal were launched in the 1980s. Now that the increased cost of insurance and maintenance has made older ships unprofitable, their value lies in the steel of the hulls. We found ourselves here at the end of the day, when the workers had already gone home, and the ships rested in silence, occasionally disturbed by the splash of water and the clanking of metal coming from their bellies. The smell of sea water and fuel oil was in the air. Making our way along one of the ships, we heard ringing laughter and soon saw a group of boys. They floundered near a half-submerged metal skeleton: they climbed onto it and dived into the water. Nearby, fishermen were setting up nets in hopes of a good catch of rice fish, a local delicacy. Suddenly, very close by, a shower of sparks fell from a height of several floors. “You can’t come here! - the worker shouted from above. “What, are you tired of living?”
Ocean-going vessels are designed to last for many years
service in extreme conditions. No one thinks about the fact that sooner or later they will have to be dismantled into pieces, many of which will contain toxic materials like asbestos and lead. Ship recycling in developed countries is highly regulated and very expensive, so this dirty work is carried out mainly by Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Labor here is very cheap, and there is almost no control of any kind. True, the situation in the industry is gradually improving, but the process is very protracted. For example, India has finally introduced new requirements for worker and environmental safety. However, in Bangladesh, where as many as 194 ships were dismantled last year, the work remains very dangerous. At the same time, it brings in a lot of money. Activists say that in three to four months, by investing about five million dollars in dismantling one ship at a shipyard in Bangladesh, you can get an average profit of up to a million. Jafar Alam, former head of the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Association, disagrees with these figures: “It all depends on the class of the vessel and many other factors, such as current steel prices.” Whatever the profit, it cannot arise out of nowhere: more than 90% of materials and equipment find a second life. The process begins with the remanufacturing company purchasing the vessel from an international used vessel broker.
To deliver the ship to the dismantling site, the company hires a captain who specializes in “parking” huge ships on a strip of beach a hundred meters wide. After the ship gets stuck in the coastal sand, all liquids are drained from it and sold: the remains of diesel fuel, engine oil and fire-fighting substances. Then the mechanisms and internal equipment are removed from it. Everything is for sale, without exception, from huge engines, batteries and kilometers of copper wiring, to the bunks on which the crew slept, portholes, lifeboats and electronic devices from the captain's bridge. Then the devastated building is surrounded by workers who came to work from the poorest areas of the country. First, they dismember the ship using acetylene cutters. Then loaders drag the fragments to the shore: the steel will be melted down and sold - it will be used in the construction of buildings. “Good business, you say? But just think about the chemicals that are poisoning our land! – Mohammed Ali Shaheen, an activist of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, is indignant. “You haven’t yet seen young widows whose husbands died under torn structures or suffocated in the holds.” For 11 of his 37 years, Shaheen has been trying to draw public attention to the hard labor of shipyard workers. The entire industry, he said, is controlled by several influential families from Chittagong, who also own related businesses, in particular metal smelting. Sahin is well aware that his country is in dire need of jobs. “I’m not asking for a complete end to ship recycling,” he says. “We just need to create normal working conditions.”
Shahin is convinced that it is not only unprincipled compatriots who are to blame for the current situation. “Who in the West will allow the environment to be polluted openly by dismantling ships right on the beach? Then why is it considered normal to get rid of ships that have become unnecessary here, paying pennies and constantly endangering the lives and health of people?” - he is indignant. Going to the nearby barracks, I saw the workers for whom Shahin was so offended. Their bodies are covered with deep scars, which are called “Chittagong tattoos”. Some men are missing fingers. In one of the huts I met a family whose four sons worked at the shipyard. The eldest, 40-year-old Mahabab, once witnessed the death of a man: a fire in the hold broke out from a cutter. “I didn’t even come to this shipyard for money, afraid that they wouldn’t just let me go,” he said. “The owners don’t like to wash dirty linen in public.” Mahabab shows a photograph on the shelf: “This is my brother Jahangir. He was engaged in cutting metal at the shipyard of Ziri Subedar, where he died in 2008.” Together with other workers, the brother spent three days unsuccessfully trying to separate a large section from the ship's hull. Then it started to rain, and the workers decided to take shelter under it. At this moment, the structure could not stand it and came off. The third brother, 22-year-old Alamgir, is not at home right now. While working on a tanker, he fell through a hatch and flew 25 meters. Luckily for him, water accumulated at the bottom of the hold, softening the blow from the fall. Alamgir's partner went down on a rope and pulled him out of the hold. The very next day, Alamgir quit his job, and now he delivers tea to the shipyard managers in the office. Younger brother Amir works as a worker's assistant and also cuts metal. He is a wiry 18-year-old with no scars on his smooth skin yet. I asked Amir if he was afraid to work, knowing what happened to his brothers. “Yes,” he replied, smiling shyly. Suddenly, during our conversation, the roof shook with a roar. There was a sound like thunder. I looked outside. “Oh, it was a piece of metal that fell off the ship,” Amir said indifferently. “We hear this every day.”