Alang Ship-Breaking Yard To Get Major Facelift

The world's largest ship-breaking yard at Alang, in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, is getting a major facelift.

The Gujarat maritime board (GMB) has decided to provide treatment, storage, disposal facilities (TSDF) at the Alang Sosiya ship-breaking yard to minimise pollution from hazardous materials at the site.

GMB recently invited bids to set up TSDF and other related facilities at the yard, and awarded the contract to a Gujarat-based company. The facilities are expected to be in place within a year from now.

Though not a single death has been recorded. We do not deny the probable risk to the human health from the hazardous waste. Therefore, we decided to implement an effective hazardous waste management plan at Alang," P N Roy Choudhury, vice-chairman of GMB, said.

 

Since the issue of managing hazardous waste was new for both GMB and the ship-breaking industry, due care and proper attention was accorded to all aspects such as landfilling, incineration, farming, etc.

"We thought it was very important to start by identifying the problem before rushing around looking for a solution. Therefore, GMB decided to commission a detailed waste management plan at Alang," Choudhury said.

GMB hired Engineers India Ltd (EIL) to work out the process for identifying problems related to the handling of hazardous materials, and assess the threat to environment and humans.

EIL took about a year to complete the project and hand over its recommendations. GMB then convened a national open bidding process to implement the recommendations.

"EIL recommended TSDF and other related facilities, and asked that they be approved by the Gujarat pollution control board. The recommendations also emphasised the need for three secured landfills facilities as per the guidelines of the ministry of environment and forests and the central pollution control board," Choudhury said.

"EIL's recommendations also suggested treatment of oil waste and sludge by bio-remediation facilities, rather than incineration, and use of composting techniques for organic waste from municipal areas," Choudhury added.

Ships that have reached the end of their lives contain a range of hazardous wastes such as PCBs, asbestos, lead-based paints, glass wool and thermocol, besides heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, lead, chromium, copper and zinc.

However, more than 95 per cent of the mass of an ocean-going ship consists of high quality steel. Recovering this high quality steel is main purpose of dismantling a ship.

However, the remaining less than five per cent of non-ferrous metal compounds, paints and coatings, insulations and sealing material, electric cables, cabin walls, decorative tilings, floor coverings, etc, must also be dealt with properly.