I usually like to own the books I read and these days I prefer to own them as ebooks. This particular book however I do not own. I did try and find a digital copy but was unable to do so. The book I have read was lent to me from a guy I work with and I believe he found it among some books that were being disposed of. So it has had something of a rough history I would say.

The edition I read was a hardcover book published in 2005 by Chamberlain Bros., a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. It is 169 pages in length, though the Forward and Introduction need to be added to that total. It took me less than a day to read, which demonstrates that the book is a very easy and interesting book to read.

Breaking Ships is a fascinating read, although I was familiar with the subject covered in the book, having seen a TV program on the very subject some months before. Indeed, the reason the book was lent to me was because the breaking up of ships in Bangladesh had been discussed during a meal break at work. We had been discussing the mammoth task of chopping up these ships and the recycling of everything contained therein – as well as the environmental damage caused and the poor wages of those that worked in the ship breaking yards.

However, the book has given me a better appreciation of conditions in the business, as well as conditions throughout Bangladesh and the massive impact this business has for the entire country. The book is a real eye opener for the entire process and all the people involved in breaking up a ship. The book’s main concern as far as the ships being recycled is the ‘Asian Tiger,’ a gigantic 38 000 ton oil tanker. The Asian Tiger’s dismemberment is traced right from the initial beaching of the ship until there is nothing left – including a look at all those involved in the work, the villages that provide the workers, how the material being recycled is sold and used thoughout Bangladesh, etc. It is a most fascinating read as I have already said. The book features many photos which I think adds greatly to the value of the work.

This book introduces the western reader to a different world, with a glimpse behind the scenes at industrial life in a third world country that has very little of that which we would expect in such an industry – good wages, work safety, environmental protection, etc. It’s well worth a read.

The video below is of footage taken from the beaches near Chittagong in Bangladesh, showing something of what it is like in the ship breaking business of Bangladesh.