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You might be surprised to know that the largest scrap yard for ships in the world located in Alang, India recycles around 50 percent of decommissioned cruise ships. Cruise ships either use their own power to go or they’re towed, which is a bit more difficult. While cruise ships can be sold to other cruise lines and repurposed that way, given the current climate with the pandemic, ships may skip that route and go straight to the scrapyard. “Currently, as cruise lines are retiring select ships, we’re seeing a mix of both– some ships have been transferred to different cruise lines, others are headed to shipyards to be sold as scrap,” says McDaniel.
The Economics of Cruise Ship Graveyards
For larger ships that are regularly updated and properly maintained, the life span can be as long as 40 years. It is important to note that older ships need to undergo more frequent safety inspections to ensure that they are not at risk of breaking down while carrying passengers. In particular, the high-grade steel that can be recovered from the outer hull of a cruise ship can be a precious commodity in a resource-poor nation.
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Finally, in 2023, a plan was announced to restore the SS United States by RXR Realty and MCR Hotels. The plan is for the ship to hold 1,000 rooms onboard, along with a restaurant and a range of features that guests can enjoy. The plan also includes the SS United States being permanently moored in New York City. However, the ship could not be recovered mainly because the Solomon Islands were undergoing a violent civil war at the time of its sinking.
Inside incredible cruise ship ‘graveyards’ where retired £500million vessels go to die – here’s how they’re demolished
Instead, what they would usually do is sell their old cruise ships to a smaller operater, where it would be refurbished and rebranded. However, without this option (during the pandemic), various cruise ship lines (like Carnival Cruises) started choosing to scrap some of their dormant ships. The fact that so much of a cruise ship is repurposed and recycled after all those years of service is a testament to the modern cruise industry’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. These yards aren't specifically cruise ships and dismantle hundreds of giant ships including cargo ship and tankers.
List of ship graveyards
This is simply due to safety concerns and certain regulations requiring individuals to undergo strict training before entering one of these types of facilities. Moreover, some retired cruise ships have been repurposed as research or educational facilities. These vessels can serve as floating laboratories, hosting scientific studies, marine conservation programs, or educational activities related to marine ecosystems and sustainability.
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Repurposing and Conversion of Cruise Ships
Ship owners and scrapping facilities are encouraged to adhere to these regulations and adopt environmentally responsible methods. This includes the proper removal and disposal of hazardous materials, the implementation of greener scrapping technologies, and the use of wastewater treatment systems to minimize pollution. Additionally, there is a growing call for transparency and accountability in the ship scrapping industry to ensure that environmental regulations are followed. As the demand for more sustainable practices increases, efforts are being made to improve ship scrapping methods. Enhanced safety measures, stricter regulations, and the establishment of certified ship recycling yards are some of the steps being taken to promote responsible ship scrapping and minimize environmental harm. Most decommissioned cruise ships are taken for dismantling at a ship scrapping yard.
What are Knego’s favourite stories among cruise ship makeovers and retirements?
"Aliaga in Turkey is a distant second," Peter Knego, journalist and ocean liner historian, told Cruise Critic. "There are also shipyards in China that scrap ships in a dry dock or alongside a berth versus on a beach." When vessels arrive at the graveyard — usually under their own power but sometimes with the aid of tugs if their engines are no longer operational — they run aground on the beach. However, a cruise ship's sheer size means that it can't just be easily docked somewhere. The ship’s structural integrity can be questionable, and it can be filled with jagged pieces of corroded metal.
They can't sail forever after all, but what actually does happen to an cruise ship once it's retired
To feed the curiosity of locals and tourists alike, some of these cruise ship graveyards will hold occasional guided tours and photography events, but they are usually reserved for days when the scrap yard is inactive. Given the immense size of a cruise ship, the salvaging and dismantling process cannot occur at a typical scrap yard. The coronavirus is costing the world a lot of money, and there have been dire consequences to the travel industry. Like every other work of machinery in the world, cruise ships can’t run forever. Ship graveyards serve as a testament to the ever-evolving nature of the maritime industry and offer a chance to reflect on the legacy of these remarkable vessels.
In some cases, it can be auctioned off so it can be repurposed or scrapped so the materials can be repurposed. When a decision is made to take a cruise ship out of service, it must undergo a meticulous decommissioning process. This process involves more than simply powering down the engines and locking the doors. At Alang, ships are either towed to the facility, which is located on the Gulf of Khambat, or sail there under their own power. Shipbreakers -- the workers who dismantle the ships -- then use machinery to drag them further onto the sand and secure them.
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Due to the nature of the scrapping process, hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead-based paint, and chemicals need to be carefully handled and disposed of. Proper safety measures and regulations must be in place to protect workers from occupational hazards. The lifecycle of a cruise ship encompasses several stages, starting from its construction and maiden voyage to its eventual retirement. Understanding this lifecycle is crucial in comprehending the process of disposing of these majestic vessels.
Then a huge team of around 2500 ship breakers moves into begin taking the huge vessel apart. "Abandoned or laid-up ships tend to leak toxins after a while if there is no maintenance or supervision." Book a sailing on a sister ship that's still sailing, peruse old photos to reminisce or check eBay from time to time to see if anyone is selling memorabilia. If you've recently lost your favorite vessel to the shipbreakers and you're feeling nostalgic, you can ease the blow in a few ways. "At both places, ships are run up onto the shore and gradually cut down," Peter Knego, a journalist and ocean liner historian who runs the YouTube channel Peter Knego's MidShipCinema, told TPG.
A large part of a cruise ship is made of steel, and by recovering and reusing it, the countries where the ship breaking yards are located do not have to import steel. The smaller companies would refurbish them, change their names, and continue to book cruises full of passengers, significantly extending the ships’ lifespans. The Alang Ship Breaking Yard is considered to be the world’s largest scrap yard for decommissioned ships. The facility is home to 183 full-sized ship dismantling yards and has numerous docks where retired ships can be towed in for the first stages of scrapping. From there, crews can work with breaking down the ships and salvaging materials and components for recycling.
In other words, local authorities and scrapping specialists could lack the capabilities to surface such a massive and heavy vessel. In these cases, the ship would simply lay in a state of abandonment where it was capsized. From the steel cutting to the maiden voyage, the introduction of vessels that can cost up to $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) to build is meticulously planned. Decommissioning or breaking a cruise ship requires hundreds or thousands of workers and months of work.
Similarly, the Astoria is another ship from 1948 that has been refurbished and converted into a small luxury vessel with space for up to 550 passengers. Cruise ships are often considered a luxurious way to travel and explore the world’s most beautiful destinations. On average, cruise ships have an operational life span of 30 years; however, some may remain in service for even longer. In these cases, cruise ships are often sent to 'graveyards' where they'll lined up and ripped apart, piece by piece. Once old cruise ships have lived out their magnificence, power tools and heavy machinery in the ship-breaking yard crunch the hotel rooms, elegant restaurants, and terraces into bits and pieces. These pieces are usually composed of electronics, glass, wood, and other repurposable materials.
In fact, most only really stay in service for between 20 and 30 years before they are sent to cruise ship heaven. Massive floating hotels, complete with shopping centres, swimming pools, theatres, cinemas, and thousands of people enjoying life at sea. “It became famous for colliding with and sinking the Italian liner Andrea Doria in 1956. It was later sold to the East German government for use as the cruise ship Volkfreundschaft for Communist party members,” Knego says. The number of times a ship is sold and renamed is more about timing and demand for steel, he explains.
These ship resting places attract visitors who are captivated by the eerie beauty and stories held within these hallowed waters. Cruise ships have also been repurposed as museums, housing exhibitions that showcase maritime history or other thematic collections. These floating museums provide an interactive and engaging experience, allowing visitors to explore the unique interiors of the ship while learning about its history and the wider context of the maritime industry.
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