South Asia remains the most popular destination for ships at the end of their lives, but a growing number of shipyards in Europe are applying for EU accreditation to dismantle ships.

This ensures that the work is carried out under strict conditions.

A handful of Indian yards have also applied, although none have been approved.

Michael Milne is managing director of Dales Marine Services in Edinburgh, which is one of the 41 EU-accredited yards.

“[Ships and oil rigs] have to be decommissioned in an environmentally-friendly fashion, which is what we hope to do here,” he said.

Dales aims to recycle up to 95% of the vessels it scraps and, like in Alang, most of the work is done by hand.

But at Dales, cutters wear at least six separate pieces of safety gear, including fire-retardant overalls and breathing masks to protect against the toxic fumes released during the cutting process.

Dales Marine Services in Edinburgh aims to recycle up to 95% of vessels Dales Marine Services in Edinburgh aims to recycle up to 95% of vessels

Vessels are dismantled in a dry dock to prevent pollution escaping.

“Health and safety is paramount for us,” Mr Milne added.

“Everybody’s kitted out properly, everybody gets what they need... we want to do it in a proper fashion, let everybody go home safe at night.”

While three of Diamond Offshore’s rigs did not reach India, hundreds of vessels like them are still being sold to shipyards in Alang every year.

Chris Pålsson is the head of Lloyd’s List Intelligence Consulting, a company which forecasts trends in the shipping business.

He says the way the shipbreaking industry operates makes it difficult to hold companies accountable.

“This is the darker side of the industry, but there are parts of this business who don’t really care about anything but money,” he said.

“Because the ship is moveable you can register it anywhere... and it’s sometimes very hard to find the ownership of ships if somebody tries hard to not be seen. It’s difficult to find a binding legal case if you can’t even find them.”

Vessels at Dales are dismantled in a dry dock Vessels at Dales are dismantled in a dry dock

But there are signs this may be changing.

In 2018, a UK shipping company called Zodiac Maritime was sued on behalf of a worker who lost a leg dismantling a ship it used to own on a shipbreaking beach in Bangladesh.

The law firm Leigh Day alleged that by selling to the cash buyer GMS, Zodiac was aware of the conditions under which its ship would be dismantled.

The company denied any responsibility, but in 2018 it settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Oliver Holland, who brought the case, said: “It’s very significant we’re able to represent workers in these cases.

"It’s… one of the only avenues of legal liability for these companies.

“We hope… it will ensure there is some legal liability for these companies and that the workers get some retribution for what’s happened to them.”

Cutters at Dales wear at least six separate pieces of safety gear Cutters at Dales wear at least six separate pieces of safety gear

New legislation may also make it more difficult for companies to avoid their responsibilities.

In December, the Basel Amendment — a global ban on exporting hazardous waste to developing countries — became law.

“Price is important but an increasing number of ship owners are putting a value against the image of the company as well,” Mr Palsson added.

“They’re quite frightened of being connected to anything that is deemed unsustainable, so I think there’s a slow process of things changing for the better.”

While living conditions for the workforce in Alang have changed little over the last decade, there have been some improvements at the yards.

Work still begins in the tidal zone, but concrete-bottomed areas have been built at a number of yards for secondary cutting.

The Hong Kong Convention, a basic set of rules and regulations for the ship recycling industry, was adopted in 2009 and more than half of the yards in Alang claim they are now compliant.

It says they must put together a plan showing how each vessel will be recycled, and maintain a list of hazardous materials aboard.

Shipyard worker Naveen had a final message for European companies deciding how to dispose of their vessels.

“First you need to ensure that your ships are in a safe condition,” he said.

“Ensure that they are not harming the labour and the local environment.

"Once you have made sure, only then should you send your ships here.”