In 2017, the world's fleet included over 50,000 vessels, of which 835 were recycled. We have a corporate culture of safety compliance and our very experienced staff completes due diligence, including safety and environmental assessments, before we even make a bid for a project, he says. After passing through the guard gate stay to the right and follow R.L. The following two internal links jump down directly to the shipbreakers/companies list and the list of old cruise ships - 40+years old vessels (built before 1990) and still in operation. Ship breaking yard Country City Province Founded Plots L (km) ref Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard: Bangladesh: Chittagong: Chittagong: 1960 18 Alang Ship Breaking Yard: . Here in Brownsville, off the southern tip of Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, these old vessels get a kind of decent retirement, in the words of Escos CEO, Richard Jaross. Bay Bridge Texas, which relocated earlier this year to Brownsville from Chesapeake, Virginia, cited the local labor pool among the factors in its decision. The ships are not drydocked, for disassembly, they are beached inside the slot, sometimes two at a time. The three most recent ships selected for dismantling are being cleaned up at BAE systems, in San Francisco. This is an online platform via which is shared information on global ship recycling via responsible practices. The competitiveness of safe and environmentally sound recycling and treatment of ships in ship recycling facilities located in a Member State would thereby also be increased., Chris Green, senior manager at International Shipbreaking Ltd. LLC, says, We have just received and safely moored our first EU ship recycling project, the MT Wolverine. The biggest yard in the world is in Alang, India, in the State of Gujarat, where high tides enable ships to beach themselves under their own power, along a seven mile stretch of the nations west coast, and where up to 30,000 people work to take them apart. The Brownsville site is the first U.S. shipbreaking site to achieve this accreditation. This is a business, Jaross says, where were recycling things and creating resources for the future. In a sense, then, these are green jobs. Under such economic conditions, no major investments are required to start and operate a ship breaking firm. The yard, recently operated by North American Ship Recycling, shut down a few years ago, and may or may not open again. Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. Van Heyghen Recycling (vanheyghenrecycling.com), since 2005 - a subsidiary of Adani Group. Kitty Hawk left Bremerton, Wash., on Jan. 15 to make its last sail to Brownsville ahead of the dismantlement, Kitsap Sun reported at the time. BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) - The USS Kitty Hawk is currently in its final transit from Naval Base Kitsap in Washington to the ship-breaking facility at the Port of Brownsville.. We have a long history of dismantling military vessel, and have invested heavily in our Brownsville ship-breaking facilities to ensure our recycling processes are safe and environmentally sound. Shipbreaking is a term symbolizing huge profits by cheap buying of ships for scrap metal, selling scrap and used ship machinery, equipment, and electronics, hard manual labor, some of the worst work conditions in the world with some of the highest rates of work accidents and mortality, numerous health, and environmental risks. The yard can be found in the Port of Brownsville. However, there are still are a few companies in the business in the United States. In addition, two Seatrade CEOs were banned for 1 year from exercising the profession director, commissioner, advisor or employee of a shipping company. We use cookies to make our site work and improve your experience. By law, none of those Navy ships can be sent for scrapping overseas, which is why this work continues in Brownsville when so much other recycling and salvaging has gone abroad (just look at what happens to your discarded computer and cell phone). Several investigations into the origins of the fire and the Navys response are still ongoing. It was situated near an artificial deepwater channel, built in 1934, that led 17 miles from the Rio . Across the channel from ESCO is the International Shipbreaking yard, with two slots, one of which is the largest of the seven that are currently active in Brownsville. International Shipbreaking, part of U.K.-headquartered EMR Metal Recycling, says it has gained the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) accreditation for its site in Brownsville, Texas, after investing $30 million in compliant infrastructure. For some reason, our welders dont want to leave town., Jaross cites one other reason why Brownsville dismantles what others construct. Part of the shipyard at the plant, which once cranked out hundreds of steel-hulled ships, became a ship breaking yard. Info and recommendations on procedures, processes, and practices, on disposal and identification of potential contaminants, design, and construction of ship breaking facilities. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Port of Brownsville is governed by the Brownsville Navigation District, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. 1,232 were here. This is not the case in the developing world - no risk of personal injury lawsuits and health claims by workers, inadequate or no protective equipment at all. International Shipbreaking Ltd. has three specialized facilities in Brownsville and in New Orleans and Amelia, Louisiana. The information is available to both industry stakeholders and the general public. The decommissioned US Navy aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk is set to dock at the Port of Brownsville, Texas on May 31, 2022, after a 16,000-mile trip from Bremerton, Washington, around the tip of South America. It has recently been decided that the ships will now be cleaned up in local dry docks to remove them of invasive species before heading out to sea. Brownsville has become the countrys ship-breaking hub thanks to its port and the cheap land around it, its proximity to steel-processing plants further down the food chain, and its work force. International Marine Salvage Inc (internationalmarinesalvage.com), Port Melbourne, Therisos Express, Danae, Starlight Express, Baltica, Princess Danae, Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskap, Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap, Hurtigruten, Vestland Rederi, Baltic Star, Stena Finlandia, Helgoland, Galapagos Discovery, Istra, Astra, Astra I, Nautilus 2000, Arion, Marburg, Lindmar, North Star, Caledonian Star, MS Endeavour, Juan March, Sol Christina, Kypros Star, Olympic, Homeric, Patricia, Stena Oceanica, Stena Saga, Crown Princess Victoria, Pacific Star, Sun Fiesta, Lion Queen, Skyward, Shangri-La World, Asean World, Fantasy World, Island Venture, Island Princess, Hyundai Pungak, Platinum, Discovery, Amen, Nordic Prince, Carousel, Aquamarine, Arielle, Pacific, Pacific Victory, MV Eagle, MV Azur, MV Royal Iris, MV Roy Star, Long Jie, Omar III, Pongnae, Hyundai Pongnae, Superstar Sagittarius, Sun Viking, Royal Viking Sea, Royal Odyssey, Norwegian Star, MS Crown, Golden Odyssey, Astra II, Omar II, Macau Success, Begonia, Femhil, Explorer Starship, Song of Flower, Le Diamant, Europafarjan 3, Corsica Serena 2, European Voyager, Alla Tarasova, Clipper Adventurer, Sea Adventurer, Tor Scandinavia, World Wide Expo, Princess of Scandinavia, Tor Britannia, Scandinavian Star, Prince of Scandinavia, Cunard Conquest, Cunard Princess, MS Rhapsody, Dana Anglia, Duke of Scandinavia, Pont L'Abbe, Viking Saga, Sally, MS Albatross, MS Silja Opera, Louis Cristal, Princess Mahsuri, Orange Melody, Spirit of Adventure, FTI Berlin, Scandinavia, Tzarevetz, Fiesta, Stena Fantasia, P&O Canterbury, Alkmini A, Gotland, Wasa Star, Peter Wessel, SNAV Toscana, MV Astoria, Quest for Adventure, Saga Pearl 2, MS Europa, SuperStar Europe, SuperStar Aries, Holiday Dream, Bleu de France, Carnival Tropicale, Costa Tropicale, Pacific Star (P&O AU), New Flamenco (Pullmantur), Ocean Dream (Peace Boat), Isabella I, Nordlandia, Nord Gotlandia, Olau Hollandia, Betancuria, Thjelvar, Rostock, Color Traveller, Sally Star, Travemnde Link, Travemnde, MS Kronprinsessan Victoria, MS Stena Saga, MS Lion Europe, Finlandia, Queen of Scandinavia, Princess Maria, Song of America, MS Sunbird, Thomson Destiny, Louis Olympia, Konstantin Simonov, Francesca, The Iris, Kristina Katarina, MS Scandinavia (DFDS Seaways), MS Stardancer (Royal Admiral Cruises), Viking Serenade (Royal Caribbean ), MS Island Escape (Thomson Cruises), MS Aleksandr Griboyedov, Knyazhna Viktoria, Olau Britannia, MS Bayard, Christian IV, MS Julia, Wind Perfection, MS Nieuw Amsterdam, MS Patriot, MS Spirit, Nantucket Clipper, Spirit of Nantucket, Spirit of Glacier Bay, MS Homeric, MS Westerdam, Costa Europa, Thomson Dream, MS Konstantin Chernenko, MS Russ, SC Atlantic, Olympia, Pride of Bilbao, SPL Princess Anastasia, Peter Pan, Spirit of Tasmania, Spir, Fjord Norway, Princess of Norway, MS Celebration, Carnival Celebration, Costa Celebration, Nils Holgersson, Val de Loire, King of Scandinavia, Yorktown Clipper, Spirit of Yorktown, MS Yorktown, Sealink Travel Group - Captain Cook Cruises, Delfin Clipper, Sally Clipper, Baltic Clipper, Delfin Star, Dream 21, World Discoverer, World Adventurer, MS Prince Albert II (Society Expeditions), Athena, Star Aquarius, Langkapuri Star Aquarius, Aquarius, Pearl of Scandinavia, Olau Britannia, Pride of Portsmouth, SNAV Lazio, Olau Hollandia, Pride of Le Havre, SNAV Sardegna, Crown Princess, A'Rosa Blu, AIDAblu, Ocean Village 2, Galapagos Explorer II (Renaissance Cruises), Happy Dolphin, Hainan Empress, Delphin Voyager, Cruise One, Orient Venus, Crown Monarch, Nautican, Walrus, Jules Verne, Alexander von Humboldt, MV Voyager. *Brownsville Navigation District adopted a tax rate that will raise more taxes for maintenance and operations than last years tax rate. Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with third party vendors, or used specifically by this site or app. This is the primary reason today the largest shipbreaking yards to be located and operated in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China - countries with extremely low labor costs and almost no environmental laws. Port of Brownsville No one wants it in their community. Wastes of the scrapped ships (especially oil and oil substances) are drained and dumped directly into the sea, and the lax or no environmental laws enables large quantities of toxic materials to escape into the environment. Andrew Agency ("A-702 Saima Trade Tower, Chundrigar Road, Karachi Sindh 74100", 92-21-32211413). When complete, it will be based in Hawaii. The third ship breaking site in the USA is at the very bottom of the country, in Brownsville, Texas, just a few miles from Mexico. People live and work in the most primitive conditions, high levels of pollution (most ships are used to carry such hazardous materials, like radioactive and toxic wastes, poisonous chemicals and oil), severe contamination of the sea bed and the entire marine food chain. 6Things were hard on the steel coast last year. Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction of raw materials, chiefly scrap.Modern ships have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years before corrosion, metal fatigue and a lack of parts render them . Some of the salvaged equipment will wind up on eBay. Other such major drydock dismantling facilities in Europe are located in Belgium (NV Galloo Recycling Ghent), Denmark (Fornaes, Smedegaarden), France (Gardet Bezenac Recycling, Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux, Les Recycleurs Bretons), Latvia (Tosmares Kugubuvetava), Lithuania (UAB APK, UAB Armar, UAB Vakaru Refonda), Holland (Keppel-Verolme, Scheepsrecycling Nederland), Poland (ALMEX), Portugal (Navalria-Docas, Construoes e Reparacoes Navais, DDR VESSELS XXI), UK (Able UK Ltd, Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd, Swansea Drydock Ltd). The USS Cape Florida currently is being recycled. With hundreds of such ships floating around the country, and around the globe, the domestic ship breaking industry is likely to continue. These images show people taking oil tankers apart by hand, and in bare feet. In 1950, there were over 2,000 surplus federal ships, tied together in slack water clusters around the nation. Jan. 15, 2022: The Kitty Hawk departs Bremerton for a trip around South America and on to Texas. His request Seatrade's CEOs to face prison time was only waived in light of this being a precedent for such criminal charges. The nation's largest ship-breaking contract was awarded to a Brownsville company, commissioned to dismantle the USS Ranger that arrived July 12, 2015. These facilities have recycled more than 400 ships and marine structures, including the USS Tripoli, USS Constellation and USS Ranger. You have a community here that welcomes the business. To think this operation could be conducted any other way is reckless and irresponsible. With approximately 40,000 acres, the Port of Brownsville is also the largest land-owning public port authority in the nation. In 2013, container ship (boxship) recycling reached a total capacity of 450000 TEUs (container capacity unit) well exceeding 2009's record of 381000 TEUs. Over the years, they were redeployed, converted to commercial use, scrapped, or sunk offshore. Petroleum products, steel scrap, shipbreaking. You can also read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information. The vessel on its final journey needs to float steadily and hit the beach of the shipping yard where it staggers and stops. Next to the International Shipbreaking yard is the Marine Metals yard, with one slot. . The Port of Brownsville is also home to five of the nations largest Ship-breaking companies. International Shipbreaking has been safely recycling ships and marine structures since 1995, Green added. This is one of many U.S. Navy contracts we have been awarded and extensive preparations have been made to ensure we are able to safely tow, dismantle and recycle the USS Charles F. Adams, Green says. The U.S. government, for obvious reasons, doesnt want a Chinese company dismantling the Navys fleet. Photo courtesy of International Shipbreaking, State of the Municipal Recycling Industry, WIH Resource Group, Tetra Tech to study post-landfill closure options in King County, Washington, PureCycle, iSustain close deal for up to 10 million pounds of feedstock, Sensoneo to supply Madrid with largest smart waste installation in Europe, Aduro Clean Technologies and CHILL partner to advance chemical recycling research, Aurubis links the greatest part of its financing to its sustainability performance, Colorado city plans development of pyrolysis plant, plastics sorting facility, Congressional Steel Caucus adds to tariffs discussion, Domtar, Paper Excellence complete acquisition of Resolute Forest Products, Redwood shares ideas for successful EV battery recycling in the US, US Steel and CarbonFree sign MoU to capture CO2 emissions at Gary Works mill, Green Giant, Ace Green Recycling partner to develop LIB recycling facility in Texas, Project seeks to optimize end-of-life electronics raw material recovery, reuse. Naval Sea Systems Command, a US Navy suborganization, said it had agreed to sell the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS John F. Kennedy to International Shipbreaking Limited, which is based in. The second mid-Atlantic ship breaking operation is at Sparrows Point, Maryland, the mostly defunct hyper-industrialized steel peninsula near Baltimore. The USS Charles F. Adams (DDG 2), The Charlie Deuce, will be dismantled and recycled by International Shipbreaking Ltd., part of EMR Metal Recycling, in Brownsville, Texas. A new industry is ship building and we saw a large cargo ship under construction. capacity 3 ships at a time, Marine Metal Inc (16901 RL Ostos Road Brownsville TX, 956-831-4284), United Steel Supply Inc (15 ml south of NOLA). August International FZC ("PO box 30457 Sharjah", 971-6-5621366). Still are not respected by the industry all orders to the yards to produce environmental certificates, pre-cleaning reports and to ban the import of ships for scrap that had not been decontaminated in the export country. We can accept the following: We offer competitive prices calculated on the weight and grade of your metal as well as the worldwide markets (this is because metal is a commodity). The International Shipbreaking facility meets EU requirements to recycle ships on hard surfaces, avoiding pollutants such as chemicals from paints from contaminating the soil and water. The verdict set a Europe-wide precedent for holding ship owners accountable for knowingly selling for cash (via shady buyers) vessels for dirty and dangerous scrapping in order to maximize profits. Brownsville police continue to investigate an early morning motorcycle accident that left the operator of the motorcycle dead. To think this operation could be conducted any other way is reckless and irresponsible. These companies are working their way through the stringent California environmental regulatory permit process. The landlocked city has become the hub of the U.S. ship-recycling industry. Shipbreaking is only one of several main ship disposal alternatives, also including hulking, floating or drydock storage, donation or sale for reuse, deep-water sinking and making artificial reefs (for detailed info check Ship Recycling). This was the latest arrival in a steady convoy of aging military vessels, Maritime Administration ships, and merchant boats that have docked here, as a final stop, for years. The business of a ship breaking company generally includes scrapping and recycling ships, selling used ships equipment, and sometimes - the purchase and sale of second-hand ships and other marine vessels. Approximately. Others have been sunk at sea in live-fire military training exercises. Economic development campaigns are more often meant to bring in gleaming biotech campuses. Ship Breaking-Recycling, Old Cruise Ships, Cruise Ship Engine Power, Propulsion, Fuel, Royal Caribbean Drinks Prices, Beverage Menus, Alcohol Policy, Carnival Cruise WiFi Internet Packages Prices, Al-Hamza Ship Breaking (alhamzagroup.com). The Guidelines contribute to workers protection from workplace dangers, elimination of work-related accidents (injuries, diseases, deaths) and improving the management of occupational safety-health issues in shipbreaking yards. On a recent Friday morning, workers in the Esco Marine ship-breaking yard in Brownsville, Texas, were dismantling a 1944 U.S. Navy repair ship. In developed countries removing the metal for scrap costs more than the value of the scrap metal itself. Microsoft has removed the Birds Eye imagery for this map. EMRs International Shipbreaking invested $30 million in the facility to gain EU Ship Recycling Accreditation. Some of the ships were reefedadopted by states to sink offshore, a practice that stimulates reef formation, and provides destinations for scuba divers. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. The USS Sturgis left this morning on its final journey to the Port Of Brownsville, where it. Most of these already doomed vessels can make it to the scrapping yard under their own power, thus avoiding the not cheap charge for towing. The company has been owned by the Adani Group, an Indian industrial conglomerate, since 2005. International Shipbreaking was established in Brownsville in 1995 by New Yorker Kevin McCabe and two partners. Capacity up to 500 tons per month, has yards in Alang, Bombay, Calcutta. The mouth of the slots are roped off with a booms to keep materials from escaping. EU SRR sets standards for environmental and health and safety compliance that are designed to go above and beyond U.S. regulatory requirements, EMR says in a news release about the sites accreditation. Once calculated, payment can be made by: Call 856-365-7500 or fill out our online contact form and someone will be in touch. The accident happened at about 2 a.m. Monday at the 3700 block of Charmaine Street, said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesperson for Brownsville Police Department. Located off the shore of Benecia, across from a former arsenal and a current oil refinery, the ships are tethered into seven clusters, and tended by service boats from a dedicated wharf. The hull was towed across the Pacific, arrived off the Western Coast of Panama on May 5 and completed the Panama Canal transit on May 12. See the latest jobs across the EMR family. The next video shows transatlantic ocean liners operated by Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (CGT, aka French Line) - founded 1861, defunct 1975. Take the Port of Brownsville exit off Highway 48, then stay to the right and cross Highway 511, then enter the Port through the guard gate. Ship cemeteries are where the beauty of all once-beloved ships shines for the very last time. Its like having a coal operation.. The largest shipbreaking yards in the world are located in several regions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China, and in the last decade, Turkey is gradually entering the industry. Buying non-ferrous metal and shipbreaking scrap, battery scrap. This link provides more details on our policy and how to change your browser settings. The hulls island and aircraft elevators were removed to allow easier passage through the canals locks. Port of Brownsville - Texas Transportation, Logistics, Supply . We hang our hat on compliance and providing our customers with a recycling service that they can be proud of., State of the Municipal Recycling Industry, WIH Resource Group, Tetra Tech to study post-landfill closure options in King County, Washington, PureCycle, iSustain close deal for up to 10 million pounds of feedstock, Sensoneo to supply Madrid with largest smart waste installation in Europe, Aduro Clean Technologies and CHILL partner to advance chemical recycling research, Aurubis links the greatest part of its financing to its sustainability performance, Colorado city plans development of pyrolysis plant, plastics sorting facility, Congressional Steel Caucus adds to tariffs discussion, Domtar, Paper Excellence complete acquisition of Resolute Forest Products, Redwood shares ideas for successful EV battery recycling in the US, US Steel and CarbonFree sign MoU to capture CO2 emissions at Gary Works mill, Green Giant, Ace Green Recycling partner to develop LIB recycling facility in Texas, Project seeks to optimize end-of-life electronics raw material recovery, reuse. The Brownsville yard has had experience decommissioning larger Navy ships including the former carriers USSConstellation (CV-64) and USS Ranger (CV-61) and former big deck amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LPH-10). It is made professionally and is well worth watching. By 2001, the fleet was down to 107 ships. To confirm you are happy with our cookie policy please click 'Accept' below. ", "Ship recycling yard in Gujarat sees a dip in business", "How world's largest graveyard of ships turned the tide - Times of India", "Ship recycling to create 1.5 lakh more jobs in three years | Rajkot News - Times of India", http://archives.dawn.com/archives/business/2010-06-29.html, "EU approves 2 more shipyards in western Turkey for ship dismantling", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ship_breaking_yards&oldid=1137956944, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, International Shipbreaking, Brownsville, Texas, Mare Island Dry Docks, Vallejo, California, El-Tareq Ship- breaking Yard, Egypt, Suez, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 07:38. He adds, We have a long history of dismantling military vessels in a respectful and compliant manner and have invested heavily to build a world class green ship recycling facility in Brownsville, Texas. Brownsville would represent a dramatically different destination from some of the Navys previous retirement plans to recycle ships by sinking them at sea, in the hopes of creating artificial reefs. Also, the average age of boxships for scrapping fell from 25-30 years down to under 20 years. Some vendors may process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interest, which you can object to by managing your options below. The industry is subsidized by the fact that federal policy prevents government ships from being scrapped by other countries, for the most part. The third ship breaking site in the USA is at the very bottom of the country, in Brownsville, Texas, just a few miles from Mexico. We hang our hat on compliance and providing our customers with a recycling service that they can be proud of.. An award-winning team of journalists, designers, and videographers who tell brand stories through Fast Company's distinctive lens, The future of innovation and technology in government for the greater good, Fast Company's annual ranking of businesses that are making an outsize impact, Leaders who are shaping the future of business in creative ways, New workplaces, new food sources, new medicine--even an entirely new economic system. Most of the 70 ships that have been scrapped from the fleet in the past ten years were taken apart at one of three ship breaking yards in the USA, two of which are in the mid-Atlantic. "Record 107 ships dismantled at Gaddani" by Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana, List of the largest shipbuilding companies, "Carnival Fantasy arrived at Turkey's Aliaga shipbreaking yard for scrapping | Cruise News", "Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard, Bangladesh", "Ship breaking in Bangladesh: Hard to break up", "India plans to double Alang shipbreaking capacity Recycling International", "Doubling ship recycling capacity by 2024: Are we ready? The largest of the companies is ESCO marine, which has dismantled more than 500 ships at this location. And many pollutants can cause serious health problems - from cancers and pulmonary problems (like asthma and asbestosis) to hormonal system disruption. In 2020, the average ship scrap metal (DWT) prices in Alang India rose to ~USD 400 per ton (from ~$200), in Aliaga (Turkey) - to ~USD 300 per ton (from ~$100). Chris Green, senior manager at International Shipbreaking Ltd., says: It is with great pride that we welcome the USS Adams on her final journey. The USS Kitty Hawk, which was decommissioned in 2009, has been making its way to the Port of Brownsville since January to be broken down at the port's ship-breaking facility. The relocation process started in the late '50s, and while in the not so distant past ships for scrap were processed in major port cities of countries worldwide, today main factors in making business decisions in the ships breaking industry are the cheap labor, the lax of regulations and little environmental constraints in all developing countries in the Far East. mementos made from parts of the ship will be available to purchase on eBay. Steel production - the scrapping of the ship is the country's main source of steel, it reduces the need to import steel materials, thus saving huge amounts of money. The Brownsville site is the first U.S. shipbreaking site to achieve this accreditation. A 15 mile-long channel, made from scratch from 1934-1936, connects the Port of Brownsville to the ocean, at South Padre Island. Ship scrapping activities also generate oil pollution and include discharge of ammonia, metal rust, which damages the bird population and numerous marine organisms (especially plankton and fishes). This is where the vast majority of the nations federal ships are broken apart. This indicates the shipping industry is taking more responsibility for how their ships are recycled rather than using the South Asian shipbreaking beaches.. The vessel is being towed from Galveston, and has undergone safe removal of all components of the deactivated nuclear reactor from the 1960s. Shipbreaking firms at Brownsville, Texas, break up old naval vessels with mostly cheap Mexican workforce, more info here. The hull of the former amphibious warship Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) has arrived at the yard of a Texas shipbreaker for dismantling, the shipyard confirmed to USNI News. Somewhere around 90% of the worlds ship breaking takes place in this way in Pakistan (Gaddani Beach), Bangladesh (Chittagong) and in India. Clearly, the Asian yards dominate the industry of ship breaking and scrapping, India, China, and Bangladesh being the world's undisputed leaders in this business: The industry of breaking ships employs over 100,000 workers worldwide, 41% of them are between 18-23 years old, 11% are children (under the age of 18), 46% of all workers are illiterate. With more than 60 ships remaining, Suisun Bay is now by far the largest Ghost Fleet in the nation. The rest of U.S. has a scarcity of welders, says Gilberto Salinas, executive vice president of the Brownsville Economic Development Council. The ship breaking operation at the Port of Brownsville that took in those military vessels was not the first encounter the port had with the U.S. military.