SHIP BREAKING

A.    Read the text below Carefully

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling, with the hulls being discarded in ship graveyards. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially steel, to be reused.

Ship breaking near Chittagong, Bangladesh

In addition to steel and other useful materials, however, ships (particularly older vessels) can contain many substances that are banned or considered dangerous in developed countries. Asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are typical examples. Asbestos was used heavily in ship construction until it was finally banned in most of the developed world in the mid 1980s. Currently, the costs associated with removing asbestos, along with the potentially expensive insurance and health risks, have meant that ship-breaking in most developed countries is no longer economically viable. Removing the metal for scrap can potentially cost more than the scrap value of the metal itself. In the developing world, however, shipyards can operate without the risk of personal injury lawsuits or workers' health claims, meaning many of these shipyards may operate with high health risks. Protective equipment is sometimes absent or inadequate. Dangerous vapors and fumes from burning materials can be inhaled, and dusty asbestos-laden areas around such breakdown locations are commonplace.

Aside from the health of the yard workers, in recent years, ship breaking has also become an issue of major environmental concern. Many developing nations, in which ship breaking yards are located, have lax or no environmental law, enabling large quantities of highly toxic materials to escape into the environment and causing serious health problems among ship breakers, the local population and wildlife. Environmental campaign groups such as Greenpeace have made the issue a high priority for their campaigns.

Source : Cutler, Thomas J. (1999). The Bluejacket's Manual (Bluejacket's Manual, 22nd ed). Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-065-7.

B.     List Of Vocabularies

1.      disposal            : Pembuangan

2.      lifespan            : Jangka pajang

4.      polychlorinated :poliklorinasi

5.      scrap                 :Membatalkan

6.      viable                : Giat

7.      fumes                : Uap

8.      inhaled              : dihirup

9.      priority             : Utama

10.  breakers          : Pemutus

C.    Question

a)      Answer the question below based on the text.

1.      What is “ship breaking”?

2.      Explain the function of ship breaking.

3.      Why was Asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) banned in a ship?

4.      “in ship construction until it was finally banned”. The word “it” in the sentence refer to?

5.      What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

b)     True or false

1.      Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes economical. (T/F)

2.      Asbestos was used heavily in ship construction until it was finally banned in most of the developed world in the end 1980s. (T/F)

3.      Removing the metal for scrap can potentially cost less than the scrap value of the metal itself.(T/F)

4.      Dangerous vapors and fumes from burning materials can be inhaled, and dusty asbestos-laden areas around such breakdown locations are commonplace.

5.      Environmental campaign groups such as Greenpeace have made the issue a high priority for their campaigns.