Dear Editor: not every scene change requires a loud random sound effect. Also the random music is the focus of this video; Simon is the background noise.
8:56 "The process will also allow sea water to seep into the hull and flush out the fuel tanks." ie. Dumping any remaining diesel fuel and built up sludge from years of operation directly into the coastal ocean completely unfiltered.
I noticed that. But it isn't necessarily as bad as you suggest. I am an ex-marine engineer. Fuel tanks are generally very clean, they have to be, just for the practical running of the ship's engines. All fuel can be removed and used or sold. There will be dedicated sludge tanks but even these have to be regularly pumped out. Also it is not clear from the narrative that that water entering the tanks is just freely allowed to drain into the surrounding sea. There will probably be some pollution but not as bad as you are imagining.
@@bh_486 I might be wrong but it is not only about fuel tanks but also everything around them like filters fuel line etc. But even if you clean it spotless you will not do it for old ships when you know that they will have it working for next year or two so all soot and other things things that can build up in engine and fuel tanks
Great topic, honestly even if quite a few people are criticizing the video (which I completely agree with for the most part), the topic very much interests me and you guys gave us a very good insight of all the different aspects when it comes to what happens with ships when they get "scraped"
whoever does the audio editing for this channel is psychotic, the background 'music' is a scattergun of styles, so loud it all but drowns out the narration and pretty much ruins an otherwise brilliant and informative video...this isnt the first time either..c'mon Simon get this sorted out ¬_¬
@Bob_Smith19 As I said, it's usually an issue for me, and it's not with this video. which says something about the frequency range it is in, which may indicate a loss of certain frequency on your part. Hearing loss isn't like plugging your ears it's losing frequencies, usually highs.
I’ve even read a book on the ship-breaking industry and was amazed towards the end of the video when Simon talked about all of the environmental improvements made at Malian. I was ready to comment “No, you can’t end a story like this on a high note!”, when Simon shows the actual state. He almost got me!
I'll chip in - the editing is nauseating. I managed ten minutes, I can't go on. The swoosh, the jerks, the deliberate visual stutters, and the music muscling in on the dialogue. Most of this channel I can manage but if it's a still image, for goodness sake let it be still for once. I want to listen, I want to hear, I'm happy to have video or stills, I can't cope with frenetic overpile editing.
You should do one on the conditions in and around lithium mines as well as the environmental impact of them. I think it would be good for some people to know
I went on this cruise ship called the Pacific Pearl in 2011 went from Sydney to ports of New Zealand & back. During the pandemic I found out it was sold for scrap & saw photos of it being dismantled in Alang.
I like the topic. I have been interested in ship breaking and recycling for a long time I do agree with a lot of comments that the music needs to be revamped.
Mark Knopfler wrote a fantastic song called "So Far From the Clyde" about these places. Give it a listen if you want to cry as hard for an inanimate object as you did for the Brave Little Toaster.
It’s easy to say that and it certain sounded heartless, but can you fight economics? How would you force companies to pay western dismantling wages out of pocket versus selling the ships to low wage countries for scrap? I’m glad at least some conditions have improved for the workers, but these awful jobs are better than their alternatives-or they wouldn’t take them. Child labor in the early 20th century was awful and abusive, but demonstrably better than farm labor or hunger. I don’t like the situation morally, but it seems to be improving a little. If India threw out the ship breakers, I’m sure China or North Korea would pick up the slack with forced labor.
Summers is articulating the thought process and logic the industry uses, he's not condoning or supporting it. These activities and this industry were in fact in "modern" developed countries with far more stringent worker protections, better pay AND environmental safeguards. They migrated to India and southeast Asis because the local authorities were and are more concerned with the financial gain from this business than the safety of their population or the protection of their environment. So, which is more evil, businessman taking advantage of lax regulation or the authorities prioritizing profit over their constituents?
@@haroldobrien4322 If you listen to Summer's other speeches it's very obvious this is exactly the kind of thing he not only condone but think is righteous.
@@magnetospin Man, at first I thought it was satire, and replayed the segment 4 times in disbelief and confusion, before coming to the comments to check my sanity. Now your comment made me look him up and, wow. There is a lot, but I was convinced by the point I read that he made a personal office for Epstein at Harvard.
In the 1980s, Gadani (Pakistan) was the largest ship breaking yard; however, competition from newly established yards such as Alang resulted in a significant reduction in output, with Gadani today producing less than one-fifth of the scrap it produced in the 1980s.
All this about ships, I was hoping you would do an episode of Today I Found Out, showing why there's a serious market for sunken ship's steel that were sunk before the mid 1940's.
@ianyoung1106 where the steel is used for sensitive medical diagnostic devices. They were not exposed to the nuclear weapon testing and dropping of bombs. They give off very minor background radiation to allow the diagnostic machines to be more sensitive.
@samuelvimes5770 I just went to watch a few clips of it and it seems that some of those clips may have been used for historical references. If i remember right they said much of the footage was from that time to a little before airing. I'm really having a hard time finding it as aljazeera seems to only filter from most recent. Thank you for the info tho I will check out the full thing
Ship breaking is one of those things that completely captivates me, yet at the same time, slightly pisses me off and hurts my heart .. I absolutely love ships.. they’re essentially buildings the size of the Empire State Building, they float and sail through waves that are sometimes 20-30 feet tall, and move wherever they want.. it pisses me off that we don’t treat them as pieces of art like a lot of buildings on land, that have been made into “historic landmarks”.. the pragmatic side of me knows that we can’t keep every ship, or repurpose them, our coastlines would be absolutely inundated, but I guess we do keep some ships and turn them into museums, but knowing all that, it still hurts my heart seeing a large ship, that dozens/hundreds of men poured their time and effort into building, see get chopped up into pieces 20-30 years later.. There ARE a lot of ships that should have been turned into museums, like USS Arizona .. she was sunk at pearl harbour, and had hundreds of men die in her bowels.. she was refloated, repaired and sent back into the fight, made it all the way through ww2, then survived a nuke being dropped beside its head, and survived that too, then it was just sunk like a meaningless piece of shit..Same thing with HMS Barham.. there’s so many ships that were literal parts of history, yet we sunk them as targets or cut hem up into oblivion.. I guess the point im trying to make is, it’s such a shame we hold so little reverence for vehicles that literally protected and supplied a nation yet we make historic landmarks all the fuckin time
Larry Summers, one of the most profoundly evil people to ever walk the face of the earth. We can thank him for the deregulation that led to the 2008 Financial Crisis and the subsequent bailout of the banks.
Depressing that health and safety continue to be an issue that has to be enforced strictly. I remember seeing a doc about this years ago... incredibly dangerous!! Very interesting video, but the background music is a bit loud.
There are still a few shipbreaking facilities in the US, mostly specializing in military ships. If anyone wonders why the US government would sell a multi-billion dollar aircraft carrier for a penny when it's being scrapped, it's because it must be done in the US, and the cost of breaking it up safely is so expensive that the only way a yard can make a profit is at that cost. No, I'm not suggesting that we start reducing protections.
16:42 not to be too picky but that's definitely NOT the Indian Parliament or any parliament in India. my best guess would be South Africa, but even so it seems like either an old image or possibly a regional parliament in SA. it just seemed a bit weird to notice no Indians and what very much looks like African individuals instead while Simon was mentioning the Indian parliament.
I'd have to say that the worker's are very brave to work in that environment and very little pay. I was flabbergasted that they work in sandals and no helmet. Im just glad that they're making improvements for the safety of worker's and environment. But still more work needs to be done and just like everything else it cost money to make improvements.
Great video, sad topic, the contamination but most importantly the poor treatment of these workers. Also….What is everyone on about not being able to hear Simon? I thought my hearing was bad. Yes the music is a bit loud at times, but I can hear him fine 😅
I don't talk about terrible death tolls often (well Simon does) but when I do i like to play cheery rights free musak obnoxiously loudly over the narrator.
I think an NPR podcast host visited these breaking yards and did a good story about the workers. He visited where they worked and did a good job bringing the human element into view. As dangerous as the job is and as low the pay looks to us a whole community strives to be in the business and work their way up the workman's ladder
Seeing the economic justifications at 4:50, as a species we don’t need outside factors, we’re doing well enough at creating monsters from our own pool.
The decription of the living conditions of the workers sounds a lot like those of my great-grandfather. He was a navvy, building railways in the United Kingdom in the second half of the 19th century.
The Shipbrokers deal directly with the Ship owner. The Shipbroker deals with the cash buyers who buy the ship and sell it to the breaker in Alang.. The Ship owners / brokers do not deal with the breaking yard directly !
Not sure what part of Hamilton is worthy of a Megaproject video. Maybe the water treatment facility? But even that pales in comparison to something like Manhattan. The now mostly demolished Stelco mills? That pale in comparison to the mills in Pennsylvania? I love this city, but there is nothing Mega here other than the homeless population and the rate at which manufacturing is dying. We are a small fry in a small pond. We could have become a Mecca of manufacturing, about 3 Stelco bankruptcies ago. The government and the companies that bought Stelco just needed a vision. My vision for it was to keep the coke ovens, blast furnaces, and plate mills open, get rid of all the sheet related and rod crap, build a dry dock and turn it into a ship building yard that makes its own plate steel. But no, everyone was insane, keep producing the same crap steel with the same crap equipment with an aging over paid unionized workforce. Cleveland Cliffs will file for BK in a couple years too, and then perhaps this time it will finally rest in peace.
I couldn't imagine doing a job as dangerous as working in Alang for as meagre of a salary as they got, I'm glad that things seem to be improving as there's almost no possible way that it could get worse.
If anyone thinks that their life is difficult, hard and sucks badly should watch any documentary about Chitagong or Alang. After that you all will be thankful for what you have, even if it sucks by our, western, standards.
@@moshonn9318 So were told. I was thinking that at the time, while also thinking about other horror stories of, say, historical fascism for example, something covered on ITS for sure, with that problem for one being definitely improved. ..or, is in flux at least. Idunno. I do agree with your point about scale though, it's certainly impressive.
This is another one of the reasons switching to BEVs is a great idea. Those concerned for the poor kids in the cobalt fields won't say a thing about this. The ships transporting oil have an end of life plan! It would be the oil tankers that do most of the environmental damage.
@Fazoo247 the billions of barrels of oil transported around the world for BURNING is far more than the relative tiny amount left over from the refinery process that is used to produce plastics. A product used in every car. The environmental damage caused by those ships from construction to grave is huge and very energy demanding. Trying to use PLASTICS as an argument shows arrogant ignorance. The MOSTLY made of plastics?? Sure buddy 🙃
Politicians in America are pushing to roll back environmental and worker protections, prioritizing corporate profits over the well-being of people and the planet. By weakening these safeguards, they enable companies to cut costs, increase profits, and operate with fewer restrictions-essentially exploiting workers and the environment much like poorer nations are. While other countries are advancing with stronger regulations to protect their citizens and natural resources, America is regressing, favoring short-term economic gain over long-term progress and sustainability. This backward approach undermines global efforts to create safer, fairer, and more environmentally responsible systems.
Just taken a look on google maps and don't see a whole pile of dry docks! Plus the vast majority of ships are oil tankers of some description, which says a lot of the oil industry - maximise profits. Either the images were taken a long time ago or not much has changed in reality
Every one is saying how loud the music is and i didnt even relaise there was music until half way through the video, i guess that is a side effect of working in loud enviroments and industrial deafness, i do agree that the transitions are excessively loud and jarriing.
The harshest thing about this is the thing that this is allowed so they don't have to build proper facilities for ship breaking, because those can be built and much of the process can be automated, it's just a large upfront cost...
It's not enough for them to simply stop more pollution; they should have to clean up the pollution they already put out, but I haven't heard a peep about that.
The loud music and cat throwing up transition noise is so distracting and unsettling. Also the nausea inducing camera movement isn't newded for a short documentary. Fire your editors.
They live in a country where the government restrictions have made this the best job that all those men can get. That guy lived in extreme poverty, and had more than 6 children…
Fascinating documentary that reveals the complex world of ship recycling. Beyond the industrial process, it's a stark reminder of global economic disparities and environmental challenges. What aspects of this industry surprised you the most? Would love to hear your thoughts on the balance between economic necessity and worker safety.
The background music is quite loud and even overlapped Simon's narrations, especially when headphones are on. When used without headset though is bearable.
This was interesting but the audio was terribly skewed. I've listened to a few different Simon videos on other channels just now and they were fine, but I can barely hear him in this video.
Very, very similar to a recent video by the small channel “Micro”. Good there’s more exposure for this issue but maybe be a little more distinct from the sources you’re copying and maybe cite/boost them too?
It’s quite sad that basic safety and environmental protections have to be enforced or highlighted/criticized for decades before being taken up. The voluntary building of dry docks and providing basic safety equipment means they could’ve always done this, but chose not to until they got severe flak.
This looks positively first-world compared to what's going on in Bangladesh. Here, we see hard hats, boots, and *safety inspection*. Over in Bangladesh, dudes in flip-flops wearing man-jamas and do-rags on their heads are doing the same work.
Ahh, Simon is again demonstrating his PRODIGIOUS SPEED SPEAKING/READING Talents to the detriment of audience comprehension. Well done Son. 69k views in 13 hrs for a video done in 22 minutes - Impressive and no doubt good for your coffers.
Normally love your video. Content is great, but gave up on this video after 7 mins because of your links. Get rid of the dreadful whoosh and zoom as a link, It is distracting and dated.
Nothing that is reported now is true 😹 Out of sight out of mind. So with all the “new” regulations I bet a lot of those ships are lost out to see in storms. Much cheaper to scuttle them during a storm and make an insurance claim.
Wages are low for a western worker but are they low for the area? It’s all relative. There’s also a break even point. No clue what the profit margins are but if labor costs are too high they will simply cease operation. This already happened in Spain, Taiwan and the UK.
Head to www.squarespace.com/megaprojects to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MEGAPROJECTS
Sort your sound out..... it's ruining videos on a few of your channels!! Can't pay everyone buttons 🤷♂️
Couldn’t agree more
Dear Editor: not every scene change requires a loud random sound effect.
Also the random music is the focus of this video; Simon is the background noise.
8:56 "The process will also allow sea water to seep into the hull and flush out the fuel tanks." ie. Dumping any remaining diesel fuel and built up sludge from years of operation directly into the coastal ocean completely unfiltered.
yeah, I also heard that and was like"...wait a minute!"
the documentary Ironeaters (Eisenfresser / Lohakhor) (available here on yt) shows the unbelievable circumstances in these "shipyards"
South east asia back at it again ruining the planet
I noticed that.
But it isn't necessarily as bad as you suggest.
I am an ex-marine engineer.
Fuel tanks are generally very clean, they have to be, just for the practical running of the ship's engines.
All fuel can be removed and used or sold.
There will be dedicated sludge tanks but even these have to be regularly pumped out.
Also it is not clear from the narrative that that water entering the tanks is just freely allowed to drain into the surrounding sea.
There will probably be some pollution but not as bad as you are imagining.
@@bh_486 I might be wrong but it is not only about fuel tanks but also everything around them like filters fuel line etc. But even if you clean it spotless you will not do it for old ships when you know that they will have it working for next year or two so all soot and other things things that can build up in engine and fuel tanks
Great topic, honestly even if quite a few people are criticizing the video (which I completely agree with for the most part), the topic very much interests me and you guys gave us a very good insight of all the different aspects when it comes to what happens with ships when they get "scraped"
@leonmeyer4814 i hate to be that guy but you left out a p in scrap-ped 😅
you must watch the documentary Ironeaters (Eisenfresser / Lohakhor)
one chapter of the documentary Working Man´s death also shows these "shipyards"
The concrete flooring idea while commendable will only help if the waste is actually collected and treated properly
I've semi-followed this subject for years. Thanks again Simon for bringing me up to date on another somewhat obscure/hidden subject. Cheers!
What would it take to bring it back to uk/Scotland?
The music makes me feel like I’m “on hold”
Yeah there is no need for music.
whoever does the audio editing for this channel is psychotic, the background 'music' is a scattergun of styles, so loud it all but drowns out the narration and pretty much ruins an otherwise brilliant and informative video...this isnt the first time either..c'mon Simon get this sorted out ¬_¬
As a half deaf person who has issues generally with loud background music and had no issues, i gotta tell ya get your ears checked.
@@shleyLXyou’re half deaf so you obviously can’t hear it. The background music is way too loud and annoying.
@Bob_Smith19 that's what someone who is completely ignorant of how hearing loss works would say.
@Bob_Smith19 As I said, it's usually an issue for me, and it's not with this video. which says something about the frequency range it is in, which may indicate a loss of certain frequency on your part. Hearing loss isn't like plugging your ears it's losing frequencies, usually highs.
Im sorry but you over reacting massively…turn down the volume bro. Stop listening to stuff at 125% volume
Great subject. Can't hear Simon over the music.
Squarespace AI is still learning apparently. [edit] Or has been sent here to d...ie. ;)
I'm hard of hearing and can hear him just fine.
The music didn't bother me quite as much as the random *whooshes* and other loud sound effects.
I’ve even read a book on the ship-breaking industry and was amazed towards the end of the video when Simon talked about all of the environmental improvements made at Malian. I was ready to comment “No, you can’t end a story like this on a high note!”, when Simon shows the actual state.
He almost got me!
you must watch the documentary Ironeaters (Eisenfresser / Lohakhor)
one chapter of the documentary Working Man´s death also shows these "shipyards"
Bin the music!
What music? Surely that raucous din at the end isn't classed as 'music'?
Also the presenter should learn the value of a pause.
Stop being a lame.
Music helps maintain the tempo and is enjoyed by the silent majority.
The music at the end was so dramatically loud! Love the content as always, just have to remember to take off my headphones
this whole vid felt fast and weird.
Yess, startling loud.
I'll chip in - the editing is nauseating. I managed ten minutes, I can't go on. The swoosh, the jerks, the deliberate visual stutters, and the music muscling in on the dialogue. Most of this channel I can manage but if it's a still image, for goodness sake let it be still for once. I want to listen, I want to hear, I'm happy to have video or stills, I can't cope with frenetic overpile editing.
You should do one on the conditions in and around lithium mines as well as the environmental impact of them. I think it would be good for some people to know
I second this.
or Coltan aka the bloody cost of smartphones and laptops
I went on this cruise ship called the Pacific Pearl in 2011 went from Sydney to ports of New Zealand & back. During the pandemic I found out it was sold for scrap & saw photos of it being dismantled in Alang.
GREAT CONTENT , Many thanks Simon
I like the topic. I have been interested in ship breaking and recycling for a long time I do agree with a lot of comments that the music needs to be revamped.
First rate work, Simon. Lots of new information in this story.
How is that is his work? He is just a presenter
Mark Knopfler wrote a fantastic song called "So Far From the Clyde" about these places. Give it a listen if you want to cry as hard for an inanimate object as you did for the Brave Little Toaster.
I like puppies and Megaprojects.
Have you heard about Simon's dog genocide?
A man of simple yet good tastes 😊
he does look a bit like a terrier...
I love projects and megapuppies
More of a kittens and Casual Criminalist guy myself.
5:07 he should hope thereis noone named luigi in these "lower wage" countrys that is affected by these pollutions. I mean is he trying to sound evil?
RIP Knock Knevis 😔
The largest ship 🚢 EVER BUILT.
It met its true death in 1 of these ship graveyards on the coast of India 🇮🇳
Wow, that quote from Lawrence Summers really shows how evil he is.
It’s easy to say that and it certain sounded heartless, but can you fight economics? How would you force companies to pay western dismantling wages out of pocket versus selling the ships to low wage countries for scrap?
I’m glad at least some conditions have improved for the workers, but these awful jobs are better than their alternatives-or they wouldn’t take them. Child labor in the early 20th century was awful and abusive, but demonstrably better than farm labor or hunger.
I don’t like the situation morally, but it seems to be improving a little. If India threw out the ship breakers, I’m sure China or North Korea would pick up the slack with forced labor.
Summers is articulating the thought process and logic the industry uses, he's not condoning or supporting it. These activities and this industry were in fact in "modern" developed countries with far more stringent worker protections, better pay AND environmental safeguards. They migrated to India and southeast Asis because the local authorities were and are more concerned with the financial gain from this business than the safety of their population or the protection of their environment. So, which is more evil, businessman taking advantage of lax regulation or the authorities prioritizing profit over their constituents?
@@haroldobrien4322 If you listen to Summer's other speeches it's very obvious this is exactly the kind of thing he not only condone but think is righteous.
@@magnetospin Man, at first I thought it was satire, and replayed the segment 4 times in disbelief and confusion, before coming to the comments to check my sanity.
Now your comment made me look him up and, wow. There is a lot, but I was convinced by the point I read that he made a personal office for Epstein at Harvard.
I love massive industrial projects like these. they really capture my imagination
More vids like this please!
In the 1980s, Gadani (Pakistan) was the largest ship breaking yard; however, competition from newly established yards such as Alang resulted in a significant reduction in output, with Gadani today producing less than one-fifth of the scrap it produced in the 1980s.
All this about ships, I was hoping you would do an episode of Today I Found Out, showing why there's a serious market for sunken ship's steel that were sunk before the mid 1940's.
To the point where supply to this market comes from war graves, protected sites and other forms of theft.
@ianyoung1106 where the steel is used for sensitive medical diagnostic devices. They were not exposed to the nuclear weapon testing and dropping of bombs. They give off very minor background radiation to allow the diagnostic machines to be more sensitive.
I remember seeing an al Jazeera documentary on this place back in 2013. Insanely dangerous.
was that the documentary Ironeaters (Eisenfresser / Lohakhor)?
one chapter of the documentary Working Man´s death also shows these "shipyards"
@samuelvimes5770 I just went to watch a few clips of it and it seems that some of those clips may have been used for historical references. If i remember right they said much of the footage was from that time to a little before airing. I'm really having a hard time finding it as aljazeera seems to only filter from most recent. Thank you for the info tho I will check out the full thing
Yes just let the sea wash out the fuel!! 😂
I couldn't believe my ears when i heard that. I mean it's India!! That sounds believable enough!
Ship breaking is one of those things that completely captivates me, yet at the same time, slightly pisses me off and hurts my heart .. I absolutely love ships.. they’re essentially buildings the size of the Empire State Building, they float and sail through waves that are sometimes 20-30 feet tall, and move wherever they want..
it pisses me off that we don’t treat them as pieces of art like a lot of buildings on land, that have been made into “historic landmarks”..
the pragmatic side of me knows that we can’t keep every ship, or repurpose them, our coastlines would be absolutely inundated, but I guess we do keep some ships and turn them into museums, but knowing all that, it still hurts my heart seeing a large ship, that dozens/hundreds of men poured their time and effort into building, see get chopped up into pieces 20-30 years later..
There ARE a lot of ships that should have been turned into museums, like USS Arizona .. she was sunk at pearl harbour, and had hundreds of men die in her bowels.. she was refloated, repaired and sent back into the fight, made it all the way through ww2, then survived a nuke being dropped beside its head, and survived that too, then it was just sunk like a meaningless piece of shit..Same thing with HMS Barham.. there’s so many ships that were literal parts of history, yet we sunk them as targets or cut hem up into oblivion.. I guess the point im trying to make is, it’s such a shame we hold so little reverence for vehicles that literally protected and supplied a nation yet we make historic landmarks all the fuckin time
Video starts at 3:19
at least the sound was good during the squarespace add ;)
That looks like one of those scrap yards you always see in Star Wars lol.
I think this one makes an appearence at the beginning of black panther, or maybe it was the start of avengers 2 ??
Lawrence Summers sounds like a villain in any movie
Larry Summers, one of the most profoundly evil people to ever walk the face of the earth. We can thank him for the deregulation that led to the 2008 Financial Crisis and the subsequent bailout of the banks.
Depressing that health and safety continue to be an issue that has to be enforced strictly. I remember seeing a doc about this years ago... incredibly dangerous!! Very interesting video, but the background music is a bit loud.
There are still a few shipbreaking facilities in the US, mostly specializing in military ships. If anyone wonders why the US government would sell a multi-billion dollar aircraft carrier for a penny when it's being scrapped, it's because it must be done in the US, and the cost of breaking it up safely is so expensive that the only way a yard can make a profit is at that cost. No, I'm not suggesting that we start reducing protections.
To much music in background. It's supposed to be background music not drowning out Simon's voice.
Good that you commented. I can just skip this video entirely instead of getting half way in and then not understanding the rest.
Yes, music is very overtuned
I must say, I love that t-shirt
NFB (The National Film Board of Canada) has a very well done documentary film on this exact yard. I found it on TH-cam- “Shipbreakers” by Michael Kot.
19:50 "Robbin the boys" is insane
16:42 not to be too picky but that's definitely NOT the Indian Parliament or any parliament in India. my best guess would be South Africa, but even so it seems like either an old image or possibly a regional parliament in SA. it just seemed a bit weird to notice no Indians and what very much looks like African individuals instead while Simon was mentioning the Indian parliament.
12:40 that kind of makes me feel uncomfortable of how much I smoke 😅
Same 😅 although i already made some progress in smoking less I'm still around 16 a day when I'm stressed.
I'd have to say that the worker's are very brave to work in that environment and very little pay. I was flabbergasted that they work in sandals and no helmet. Im just glad that they're making improvements for the safety of worker's and environment. But still more work needs to be done and just like everything else it cost money to make improvements.
Desperate people facing starvation will work in terrible conditions for minimal pay.
Seriously... Please do something about that background music. It's too loud and distracting. It's been a problem in a couple of videos now.
It's irritating and distracting, get rid of it
4:38 The West: some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make
This place is a chapter in Max Brook's World War Z
What mic do you use? Your voice is really crisp.
Or what post production audio software do you use?
Good vid!
Great video, sad topic, the contamination but most importantly the poor treatment of these workers.
Also….What is everyone on about not being able to hear Simon? I thought my hearing was bad. Yes the music is a bit loud at times, but I can hear him fine 😅
I don't talk about terrible death tolls often (well Simon does) but when I do i like to play cheery rights free musak obnoxiously loudly over the narrator.
I think an NPR podcast host visited these breaking yards and did a good story about the workers. He visited where they worked and did a good job bringing the human element into view. As dangerous as the job is and as low the pay looks to us a whole community strives to be in the business and work their way up the workman's ladder
Seeing the economic justifications at 4:50, as a species we don’t need outside factors, we’re doing well enough at creating monsters from our own pool.
God bless those workers ❤
Very interesting episode.
The decription of the living conditions of the workers sounds a lot like those of my great-grandfather. He was a navvy, building railways in the United Kingdom in the second half of the 19th century.
1:15 - Chapter 1 - Stripping ships
1:55 - Mid roll ads
3:20 - Back to the video
5:15 - Chapter 2 - 8524 ships & counting
7:55 - Chapter 3 - How ships die
9:55 - Chapter 4 - How ship breakers die
15:30 - Chapter 5 - Healing a toxic reputation
19:35 - Chapter 6 - Alang's future
Sometimes you do things that make me pay attention. This is important for the world to know.
In the comments in under hour?! Let's go! Haha but for real another awesome video man!
The Shipbrokers deal directly with the Ship owner. The Shipbroker deals with the cash buyers who buy the ship and sell it to the breaker in Alang.. The Ship owners / brokers do not deal with the breaking yard directly !
Cheers from Hamilton Ontario Canada. What are we at year four, possibly going on year five for megaprojects?
Not sure what part of Hamilton is worthy of a Megaproject video. Maybe the water treatment facility? But even that pales in comparison to something like Manhattan. The now mostly demolished Stelco mills? That pale in comparison to the mills in Pennsylvania? I love this city, but there is nothing Mega here other than the homeless population and the rate at which manufacturing is dying. We are a small fry in a small pond. We could have become a Mecca of manufacturing, about 3 Stelco bankruptcies ago. The government and the companies that bought Stelco just needed a vision. My vision for it was to keep the coke ovens, blast furnaces, and plate mills open, get rid of all the sheet related and rod crap, build a dry dock and turn it into a ship building yard that makes its own plate steel. But no, everyone was insane, keep producing the same crap steel with the same crap equipment with an aging over paid unionized workforce. Cleveland Cliffs will file for BK in a couple years too, and then perhaps this time it will finally rest in peace.
Will be 5 years next marxh
Videos always good. But are the wizbang flashes and zoom images necessary? The videos don't need special presentation effects. I was getting whiplash.
A+ work, Simon. I'd like to see more gritty news-type videos.
We got to do better on the music editor
What an ending... "Alang is dead, thank you for watching."
Next up, if you haven't seen it, look up the mining process for rare earth metals.
I couldn't imagine doing a job as dangerous as working in Alang for as meagre of a salary as they got, I'm glad that things seem to be improving as there's almost no possible way that it could get worse.
I can't put a word to the feeling of seeing these hulking, indomitable vessels being reduced to scraps
Give a listen to Mark Knopfler's "So Far From the Clyde", It's a beautiful song but depressing.
ants dismantling a large beetle?
Ships are actually quite domitable. They get domited all the time.
If anyone thinks that their life is difficult, hard and sucks badly should watch any documentary about Chitagong or Alang. After that you all will be thankful for what you have, even if it sucks by our, western, standards.
12:58 Oh my god, Simon, have mercy. Not Megaprojects. I go to Warfronts if I want to be sad. =(
And into the shadows.
18:49 small mistake, greatest was read instead of greenest
Visited in 1994, had to climb a rope ladder to have breakfast with caretaker. Greetings from Australia.😅
This would seems more appropriate as an Into the Shadows video.
Maybe they put it here for scale, or because the overall situation seems to be improving.
@@moshonn9318 So were told. I was thinking that at the time, while also thinking about other horror stories of, say, historical fascism for example, something covered on ITS for sure, with that problem for one being definitely improved. ..or, is in flux at least. Idunno. I do agree with your point about scale though, it's certainly impressive.
This is another one of the reasons switching to BEVs is a great idea.
Those concerned for the poor kids in the cobalt fields won't say a thing about this. The ships transporting oil have an end of life plan! It would be the oil tankers that do most of the environmental damage.
Your BEV is still mostly made of plastic, which is an oil derived product, which is being transported in these ships... Try again.
@Fazoo247 the billions of barrels of oil transported around the world for BURNING is far more than the relative tiny amount left over from the refinery process that is used to produce plastics. A product used in every car. The environmental damage caused by those ships from construction to grave is huge and very energy demanding. Trying to use PLASTICS as an argument shows arrogant ignorance. The MOSTLY made of plastics?? Sure buddy 🙃
Listen to Mark Knopfler's So Far From the Clyde.Wonderful song about this.
Politicians in America are pushing to roll back environmental and worker protections, prioritizing corporate profits over the well-being of people and the planet. By weakening these safeguards, they enable companies to cut costs, increase profits, and operate with fewer restrictions-essentially exploiting workers and the environment much like poorer nations are. While other countries are advancing with stronger regulations to protect their citizens and natural resources, America is regressing, favoring short-term economic gain over long-term progress and sustainability. This backward approach undermines global efforts to create safer, fairer, and more environmentally responsible systems.
I think Simon would be great as an auctioneer.
Just taken a look on google maps and don't see a whole pile of dry docks! Plus the vast majority of ships are oil tankers of some description, which says a lot of the oil industry - maximise profits. Either the images were taken a long time ago or not much has changed in reality
I looked on a satellite view of Alang, there were no dry docks. There are what appears to be concrete pads but the ships are not on them.
Could your editor s do away with those fast scene transitions that are both visually violent and very loud in my headphones.
I haven't watched Simon in awhile and his voice has changed. Is it from doing all of these many, many videos?
You don't contract cancer, you develop it. 12:20
Every one is saying how loud the music is and i didnt even relaise there was music until half way through the video, i guess that is a side effect of working in loud enviroments and industrial deafness, i do agree that the transitions are excessively loud and jarriing.
The harshest thing about this is the thing that this is allowed so they don't have to build proper facilities for ship breaking, because those can be built and much of the process can be automated, it's just a large upfront cost...
Return to innocence, enigma
Did you let your awful brain blaze editor do this video? The bad music choices and horrendous audio leveling line up with that.
It's not enough for them to simply stop more pollution; they should have to clean up the pollution they already put out, but I haven't heard a peep about that.
You are always dressed so cute!
The loud music and cat throwing up transition noise is so distracting and unsettling. Also the nausea inducing camera movement isn't newded for a short documentary. Fire your editors.
I bet stairs are a challenge for you too.
Weird to see the CGC Polar Star @17:42 . It's still in service.
They live in a country where the government restrictions have made this the best job that all those men can get. That guy lived in extreme poverty, and had more than 6 children…
Fascinating documentary that reveals the complex world of ship recycling. Beyond the industrial process, it's a stark reminder of global economic disparities and environmental challenges. What aspects of this industry surprised you the most? Would love to hear your thoughts on the balance between economic necessity and worker safety.
The background music is quite loud and even overlapped Simon's narrations, especially when headphones are on. When used without headset though is bearable.
This was interesting but the audio was terribly skewed. I've listened to a few different Simon videos on other channels just now and they were fine, but I can barely hear him in this video.
Very, very similar to a recent video by the small channel “Micro”. Good there’s more exposure for this issue but maybe be a little more distinct from the sources you’re copying and maybe cite/boost them too?
Could live without the annoying sound effects between transition clips. Given up watching after 4 mins
It’s quite sad that basic safety and environmental protections have to be enforced or highlighted/criticized for decades before being taken up. The voluntary building of dry docks and providing basic safety equipment means they could’ve always done this, but chose not to until they got severe flak.
Reglations are always written in blood. No improvemts are made untill it becomes more costly through monetry or reputation to continue as they were.
Hey I recognize this place from world war z the book!
This looks positively first-world compared to what's going on in Bangladesh.
Here, we see hard hats, boots, and *safety inspection*.
Over in Bangladesh, dudes in flip-flops wearing man-jamas and do-rags on their heads are doing the same work.
India is slightly professional than Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Ahh, Simon is again demonstrating his PRODIGIOUS SPEED SPEAKING/READING Talents to the detriment of audience comprehension. Well done Son. 69k views in 13 hrs for a video done in 22 minutes - Impressive and no doubt good for your coffers.
Normally love your video. Content is great, but gave up on this video after 7 mins because of your links. Get rid of the dreadful whoosh and zoom as a link, It is distracting and dated.
Nothing that is reported now is true 😹 Out of sight out of mind. So with all the “new” regulations I bet a lot of those ships are lost out to see in storms. Much cheaper to scuttle them during a storm and make an insurance claim.
Wages are low for a western worker but are they low for the area? It’s all relative. There’s also a break even point. No clue what the profit margins are but if labor costs are too high they will simply cease operation. This already happened in Spain, Taiwan and the UK.
234 dollars a year is 1 tenth of the average wage in most African countries.