What Is Cruise Ship Graveyard?

By Robert Palmer

Cruise ship graveyards, also known as “shipyards” or “ship breaking yards”, are the final resting places for vessels that have been retired from service. These ships are typically towed to a designated spot and stripped of their valuable parts, such as engines and electronics, before being scrapped for scrap metal or recycled materials. Cruise ships that have reached the end of their life cycle often find themselves in a cruise ship graveyard.

The cruise ship graveyard is a grim reminder of the realities of modern maritime industry. As fleets grow larger and older vessels become obsolete, some ships are no longer fit for service or economically viable to operate.

Cruise lines often opt to send these retired vessels to the graveyard rather than pay the high costs associated with repairs and refitting. In some cases, these ships may be decommissioned due to environmental regulations or safety concerns.

Cruise ship graveyards can be found in various locations around the world, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China. These countries are popular destinations for disposing of old vessels due to their availability of cheap labor and lax environmental regulations.

The process typically involves breaking down the vessel into its constituent parts before selling it off piece by piece at auction. While this process may seem efficient and effective in theory, it can lead to serious environmental damage in practice due to hazardous waste disposal practices associated with dismantling large vessels.

The process is not without its critics however; many argue that these graveyards are devastating the environment through hazardous material releases from paint chips, fuels and lubricants used on board the ships being dismantled as well as from cutting into steel hulls that contain asbestos insulation materials among other pollutants that can seep into nearby waters or spread through air pollutants such as asbestos dust particles.

In addition, there is also concern over worker safety at these sites; workers in developing countries often lack proper safety equipment or training when it comes to dealing with hazardous materials found on board cruise ships which can lead to serious health problems if not handled properly.

Overall, cruise ship graveyards provide an important service by recycling old vessels but come with a range of environmental concerns attached which must be addressed if they are going to remain sustainable in the future.

Conclusion: What is Cruise Ship Graveyard? A cruise ship graveyard is an area where retired vessels are towed and stripped apart for scrap metal or recycled materials before being scrapped completely. These graveyards have been criticized due to the potential environmental damage caused by hazardous material releases while they also pose potential health risks for workers who lack proper safety equipment or training when dealing with hazardous materials found on board cruise ships.