Coronavirus stops recycling of the ships

India's shipbreaking yards are closed due to the critical situation with the coronavirus. All available supplies of oxygen in the country, including those used at shipyards for ship recycling, have been redirected to hospitals, since most of the deaths associated with coronavirus (218 thousand cases as of May 4) in the country were the result of a lack of oxygen. Currently, the country has recorded more than 20 million infected. According to experts, the official death toll is far from reality, Seatrade Maritime News reports.

The dramatic increase in coronavirus infections in neighboring Bangladesh and Pakistan is also hampering ship recycling and negatively impacting crew changes on ships sold as-is and delivered to docking yards. According to GMS, the largest buyer of written-off vessels for cash, the crew of such vessels is prohibited from moving.

At the same time, according to GMS, estimated refining prices remain high. Bangladesh shipbreaking yards remain the market leaders. The price of a bulk carrier for scrap is $ 500 / LDT (for each ton of pure metal), a tanker is $ 510 / LDT, a container ship is $ 520 / LDT.
Experts consider the Berge Helene floating production, storage and offloading facility (FPSO), 372 meters in length, for $ 16 million as one of the notable sales of ships for scrapping lately. It will be disposed of in India at a green shipbreaking yard.