The massive impact of COVID-19 on global health and the economy has brought several industries to the brink of disappearance and forced others to accelerate emergency plans. For example, we recently discussed the retirement of aircraft the retirement of aircraft and the difficulties associated with deep storage of entire fleets deep storage of entire fleets. Something similar is happening with luxury cruise ships. The "no sail" orders remain firm in many parts of the globe, and for some companies, that leaves only one option: sell their cruise ships as scrap and send them to be dismantled.
The cruise industry surpassed the 30 million passenger mark in 2019. Globally it represents $150 billion and 1.2 million jobs, but everything changed with COVID-19, perhaps forever. Some of the most severe outbreaks of the disease began on cruise ships, and they were forced to remain at sea. The US CDC issued the "no sail" order in March, and it was extended and it was extended at least until next October 31.
So what is happening with the cruise ships? In early October, five of them appeared at the port of Aliağa, on the west coast of Turkey. There they will be reduced to scrap, and it is expected that three more cruise ships will share the same fate soon. Representatives of the "Ship Recycling Industrialists Association" explain that a cruise ship needs six months and a hundred workers to be completely dismantled. Furthermore, recovery is not limited to metal: furniture and kitchen material are also included in the processing.
The shipyard has more than 2,500 people working, and they expect to bring the volume of dismantled steel to 1.1 million tons before the end of the year. Below, you can enjoy some images captured with drones, courtesy of Chris McGrath for Getty, and Umit Bektas for Reuters.
Sources: Reuters, CNN
