Alang, Ship breaking center in Bhavnagar District, India
Alang is a settlement in Bhavnagar District on the Gujarat coast, centered around an extensive series of dismantling yards along the Gulf of Khambhat. The facility stretches over several kilometers of shoreline, where large ships are taken apart in individual plots.
A captain founded the first yard in this region in 1983, when the yards began processing decommissioned merchant ships on this stretch of coast. Over the following decades the settlement grew into a major industrial site for ship recycling.
The town takes its name from early settlers in the region, and today thousands of workers operate in family teams across the yards, sorting materials for resale throughout India. Many laborers live in temporary housing along the shore, where small markets and food stalls serve the community.
The yards are best viewed at low tide when work on the beached ships is in full progress, though access to the actual working area is heavily restricted. Visitors should be aware that this is an active industrial zone, not a tourist attraction with guided tours.
The tides in this part of the gulf are among the strongest in Asia, with a range exceeding 8 meters (26 feet), which allows large ships to be beached. This extreme tidal range explains why this particular stretch of coastline was chosen for this type of industry.
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