Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. In the past three decades, its beaches have become a major worldwide centre for ship breaking. The longest ship ever built, Sea wise Giant, was sailed to and beached here for demolition in December 2009.

The shipyards at Alang recycle approximately half of all ships salvaged around the world. It is considered the world’s largest graveyard of ships. The yards are located on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of Bhavnagar. Large supertankers, car ferries, container ships, and a dwindling number of ocean liners are beached during high tide, and as the tide recedes, hundreds of manual labourers dismantle each ship, salvaging what they can and reducing the rest to scrap. The salvage yards at Alang have generated controversy about working conditions, workers’ living conditions, and the impact on the environment. One major problem is that despite many serious work-related injuries, the nearest full service hospital is 50 kilometers away in Bhavnagar.

• Asia’s Largest Ship Breaking Yard situated 60kms from Bhanvagar, Gujarat.
• This is the circle you will find as soon as you enter Alang Ship Breaking Yard.
• If you’re planning your next vacation, you probably won’t find Alang in any travel guides.
• You may not even find it on the map. This desolate six-mile stretch of land was once one of the most impoverished areas in India.
• But, in recent years, this piece of the Indian coastline in Gurajat state has become the world’s largest ship breaking yard.
• Alang, 185 miles (298 kilometers) northwest of Bombay, serves as the final stop for about half of the world’s maritime vessels [source: Burns].
• Alang is literally a graveyard for ships — the world’s once most powerful ships come here to die. Ship breaking is just what it sounds like. Piece by piece, workers use basic tools to dismantle ships that are too old or too costly to maintain.