The numbers of vessels sold to scrap yards for shipbreaking declined globally last year, with south Asia remaining the most active spot, an annual report by Belgium-based NGO Shipbreaking Platform states.
A total of 405 vessels were sold and delivered to salvage yards, down from 445 the previous year, NGO Shipbreaking Platform data show.
The gross tonnage of the ships totalled 5.7mn t, down from 7.6mn t in 2023, as the number of end-of-life vessels declined amid factors such as ongoing shipping industry disruptions. Demolition prices for ships have also fallen in recent years, according to figures released by cash buyers of ships.
India and Bangladesh remained the top destinations despite vessel numbers dropping. Bangladeshi numbers fell to 129 from 171, while India's dropped to 100 from 139.
Combined with Pakistan, where 24 ships were broken down, just under 4.5mn t of ocean-going commercial vessels were dismantled on the beaches of the three south Asian countries, representing more than 80pc of the global total.
This comes despite concerns over unsafe and environmentally damaging practices, NGO Shipbreaking Platform says. At least 470 people have died in south Asian shipbreaking yards since 2009, and shipbreaking beaches are toxic hotspots, the group says.
"There is no possibility to take apart a ship on a beach in a way that is environmentally sustainable and safe for workers," NGO Shipbreaking Platform executive director and founder Ingvild Jenssen says.
Shipowners from Asia and Europe topped the list of those that sell to south Asia, with 56 sold from China, 18 from Russia and 16 from Switzerland, report figures show.
Outside of the Indian subcontinent, Turkey was the next most popular destination where 84 ships — just under 500,000t — were dismantled, nearly double the 2023 total but equating to around the same tonnage.
At the same time, 25 ships with a gross tonnage of 330,000t were broken down in the EU, and 45 ships with a gross tonnage of 340,000t in the rest of the world.
The number of ships being scrapped each year has steadily declined in recent years, with 2024 a recent low, after 1,213 ships were scrapped in 2013.
