p.r.bullen - travelogue

shipbreaking in chittagong As they chop bits off, they run the ships furthur up onto the shore. The pieces are hauled in by hand, with 20 or 30 men pulling at the steel .cables to drag the slabs across the mud. There were hundreds of men at the working yard that we visited, some covered in mud, oil, or both.

Junkyards line both sides of the highway leading down from Chittagong to the shipbreaking area. Some specialize: office furniture salvaged, or bathroom fixtures and fittings, etc. One even had a huge boiler sitting by the road, as advertising. And flags of all nations, and for signalling, as decoration.