Paul, i am a maritime attorney with a matter involving the Delaware TRADER. would you please contact me? 504-58503059 or [email protected] thanks mike

Hello Paul, I dearly respect all your thoughts and others too. Anyways "DELAWARE TRADER" final beaching at Gaddani Pakistan at M/s. Usman ship Breaking plot. I've the privileged to visit the ship after beaching along with the Owner and see all the Rooms including Gym and then go to the Engine room. This is US operated ship comes to Gadani after almost 2-3 decades..... I've some pictures of that ship but unluckily my computer got infected with Virus and have to delete some of it. I'm an ship enthusiastic and Often visit Gadani ship breaking Yard. thanks for the sharing and do let me know if you need any other information. regards,
Shahid Ayub

Thanks for all the comments guys! I made 2 beaching trips. Once to Chittagong and once to Alang. Because we beached in Alang at 0130 in morning, most of the appalling things there were hidden in the dark as we made our way to the hotel hours from the beach and we only had time to change our clothes, have lunch, and head to the airport after long waits at various custom stops on the for passes and doling out cumshaw to local officials. One thing that struck me about India is how the wealthy in fine houses and fancy cars live right next to folks living in abject squalor and poverty and still seem to get along very well with none of the tension you see in western developed countries.

I know Ed Burtynsky, the Canadian photographer who made several trips to document the ship breaking in Bangladesh, and he's told me horror stories of what he saw, including men amputated and even cut in two on the beach by snapped winching cables. It is a living horror, but there is no shortage of men willing to work there, which tells you how bad it must be beyond the beach.

After reading the comments i realize i didn't really look at the human side of this Picture in my first post.. Mr Dot bought me back to earth with a thud..I suppose i like a lot of others are to comfy in our life to stop and have a look at these poor people and the way they live..I don't have a lot in life but i have a hell of a lot more than these folks will ever have..So next time i see a shot like this maybe i will have a look at the whole picture before i comment.. Cheers

The comments in this thread, since my opening remarks last nite, are most thought provoking indeed! My wife and I went to a morning chapel service, and I was speaking of this very subject as we considered the apalling inequeties of the world, and the shock of these people that have so little when we have so much! the morning message was 'enough is enough' thank you all for your thoughtfullness! mrdot.

Steve, I have never read such a good & worthy exposure (only if it was written in an honorable book)!
We all support your message, it is so human ....and the best of mankind.
Thank you truly/Jadran

Capt Ted: You are right of course.And I'm glad that we have provoked such positive comments:
Such as from John Jones,who so clearly reflected our thoughts regarding those scrapyard workers.
The original poster: Paul, who, I can quite sympathise with for crying: I would too have been so moved...I took a ship to Kaoshiung for scrap..it was bad but not like what Paul experienced.
The question is: WTF can we do to change this insult to mankind....this is slavery.It is abuse.
I'm most reluctant to use this forum as a means of trying to better the lot of these people: It is not the "idea" at all behind Ship Spotting..... (this is beyond politics, surely?)
But, can we, as human beings...enjoying the fruits of our lives ignore the plight of these people.....who we see in so many photos...that we enjoy!...as slaves? Can we sleep easily, knowing that this goes on in our world?
I have no idea what I will do...none at all. But I am open to ideas.
Again Capt Ted: You are quite right: Capitalism...sure has it's downside.
Amazing though, those so vehemently against communism can invest so heavily in it.
At grave cost to their own. What kind of social responsibility is that.
Anyway, I apologise again....we are merely "Ship Spotting".....Are we not?
Cheers,
Steve.

A very nice shot of a ship at the end of her vovages..

Striking picture Paul which has also produced a lot of thought provoking comments. Glad you had a good time on her and developed a respect for the ship. I hope you find another one that serves you as well. The plight of these scrapyard workers is something that you portrayed very well and is very disturbing. Various 'paperwork' hoops are being gone through at the moment in the name of making scrapping 'greener'. But will it really change the lives of these people? Unfortunately, I fear not.
Best Regards
John J.

We had a couple of Keystone tankers on T/C back in the eighties. Always running fine and never a problem. Sad to see the end of their ships ....

Jadran, your are correct,, a big BUT
problem is that the navy has 250 peoples on a ship the size I sail (UBC Salaverry at presnt) and I have incl me 24 !!! and I go straight to jail if we have a problem and a commander in the Navy gets retired with full pensions if the same happens to him !!!
A little but very important difference !!!!

Subject: "Paperwork upon paperwork".
The nowaday "form" procedures on commercial vessels have started, developed, being in accordance & complying to the earlier and already created forms of........ the US NAVY procedures.
US NAVY requests a Report for every single thing, even Report for any operation or a single step within that operation that you make, and each Report must be written in 3 legible copies.
So, 'Don't worry, be happy'

Pata
It would cost money to apply proper work conditions to those at the scrapyards in those countries and that is the very reason why nothing is done. Look at CHINA,, they are so successfull not because they invented anything but for the sole reason for cheap labour and no rules in general, same applies here ::::money and profit::: we call it also capitalism !!!

There is something very-very wrong here with the Port history:
2012 December 30th, 23:00:38 UTC - Ambrose New York.
But we see all the real fact on this interesting photo!.

Paul & others: Yes, it's all gone to pot....Paperwork upon paperwork...I know several Captains now in shore-based work,who all give this mindless "form-filling" as the key reason to "swallow the anchor"....Literally, you have to fill in a form to confirm you have filled in the forms.
As one noted: If these faceless IMO guys had half a clue as to how the job needs to be done,we could, perhaps, accept some of the rubbish they churn out.
Time they turned their attention to the terrible working conditions of the scrapyard workers....but of course....it'll never happen. Too much in the way of effort required.

Paul,, no filling papers ,,no sailing anymore,, without filling in form after form we wouldn,t know anymore where forward and aft is. Practical skills and knowledge from experience is not WANTED anymore,, push buttons and order service when it does not react is the most important part.
Problem is for each incident a new form is created. Not the technical department or personal or fananical is today the most important the afety and Quality department with their fill in forms,,where actually nobody has time anymore to really check what is going on.
Pilot-Master exchange,, would like to see those idiots at IMO to make that in W-African ports where the pilot hardly speaks english and talks with the tugs, if there are some in his own slang. according regulation I have to insist that the pilot speaks with the tug master in english or a lingo what they can and me too) If not I will have to stop maneuvering and file a complaint in a fill-in-FORM !!!!. Question with whom,, I am a German master on a cyprus flag ship which is regulated by the implementation unit IMO (beside flag state of course) they are not independent, (part of UN) they are the implementation unit of all member-states) therefore one can write to IMO on something, but the answer will be,, please contact your own goverment on the subject in question, One might as well put the mail in a bottle !!!! and throw it into the middle of the Atlantic !!!
Redicilous by now,, but papers prove that you can,,not skills and experience or knowledge !!!

Two of the most dramatic days in the life of a ship, her launching and the day it all comes to an end. Paul, thanks for sharing your memories of these great ships.

Paul, it is so exciting reading your comments provided hereunder.
But the first one makes me somehow feel rather sad.
I start wondering if Mr. R.A. will intend, whenever, to join the Allang gang!?

Hanks bcfcapt,

I've had all my P/W and applications ready for my license renewal ready for the past few months but still haven't sent it in. After 40 years of going to sea on tankers (at 30 years old the Delaware was the newest I worked on) I'm tired of it. You can barely get out of your bunk nowadays without filling out about 20 forms, let alone get the ship loaded and discharged along without endless repetitive vetting inspections, peeing in cups, etc. I'm glad I started out in 1972 when you still had to navigate by sextant and bearings and there was still some seamanship, I had a great time in those days! Most of that's gone now and it's more of a drudge, so I won't miss it.

Thanks Paul for a great write-up. Gives all us an appreciation for what we have. Hope you've got another ship.

Yes that's very true. I made the final voyage on the Keystone tanker "Fredericksburg" to Chittagong and the "Chilbar" to Alang.The poverty and working conditions of these poor people is not to be believed! I remember vividly descending the ladder off the "Freddy" into a dugout canoe. There was a young boy in the boat and I had a bunch of quarters in my pocket and gave them too him. He immediately stuffed them into his mouth, but one of the older men in the boat smacked him in the back of his head and made him spit it out in his hand, so the poor kid got nothing. On the way from the beach to the hotel the sights I saw were so appalling I started to cry. They have absolutely nothing!

Interesting to note the safety gear these allang gang crew are sporting as they await their latest project! it looks like workman's compensation is nowhere near! mrdot.