Ship-breaking.com - Robin des Bois

The cleaning in floating dock of the Mission Santa Ynez, The sinking of the Oriskany, May 17, 2006,
April 10, 2010. © Andrew Dyer
Gulf of Mexico © US Navy
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But on the opposite side of recycling, which shows its respect for the environment and federal and state
laws, US MARAD is renewing the old and economical method of reefing. One remembers that the day
after the return of the Clemenceau to Brest in May 2006, the American Navy sank the aircraft carrier
Oriskany without drawing reproach from ecologists. This practice, which is contrary to international
legislation, has since been virtually abandoned. The American Administration has revived the practice: it
is going make a “gift” to the Cayman Islands of another old ship built in 1945, the submarine support ship
Kittiwake. The Kittiwake will be sunk the
next 4 th of July and will become an artificial
reef for an exotic diving site after a cursory
cleaning and the cutting of openings to
permit divers to easily visit the ship; it will
join the Cuban frigate of Russian origin
356, renamed Captain Keith Tibbets before
its submersion in 1996. This “gift” permits
the United States to save $170,000, the
cost of demolition in an American breaking
yard, at the rate of $96 per ton requested
for the dismantling of the Escape, another
support ship, in August 2009.
Kittiwake, February 2010. © Mabel Clark
After the bars, the breaking yard
The substandard ships are prioritized for breaking, but they were not demolished in the countries,
notably European, which detained them: at least 108 ships (47%) were the object of prior detention(s) in
world ports, with a detention rate of more than 80% for bulk carriers; 67 (29%) were controlled by a
classification society not belonging to IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) or were
without classification.
Years and meters
The age at the end of life for ships leaving the fleet during the period from January 1 st to April 4, 2010
ranges from 16 years for the tanker Eco Africa, victim of a fire in October 2009 while offloading its cargo
of crude oil (see p. x) and 65 years for the Victory Ships of the American Administration; the median age
is 30 years; it is 26 years for tankers, 27 years for container ships and 39 years for ferries and passenger
ships. 79 ships have a length of less than 150 m, 99 measure between 150 and 199 m and 55 between
200 and 336 m.
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Ship-breaking.com #°19 - Robin des Bois / April 2010 - 4/31