Like all machines, ships too become old and have to be retired from service. So what happens to a vessel after it has finished serving its employers? It goes through a process called ship-breaking. In this process, ships are disposed of by breaking down for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or the extraction of raw materials, chiefly scrap. The steel from the ship can be recycled for use in the manufacture of new products which lowers the demand for mined iron ore and reduces energy use in the steelmaking process. Many other fittings can also be reused.
