NO SCRAP LEFT BEHIND: How Bhatiari’s ship graveyard still furnishes homes across Bangladesh

An old-fashioned telescope, also from an old ship, is displayed at a store at Chattogram’s Madam Bibir Hat area. PHOTO: TBS

A Russian end-of-life ship anchors off the coast of Sitakunda. This massive cargo vessel weighs over 200,000 tonnes. It has been imported by Crystal Shippers Limited Shipyard.

Usually, the dismantling process begins within a week or 10 days after a ship arrives. Then, the shipyard owner declares an auction. Every part of the ship — starting from the iron structure to furniture, commodes, basins, electric wires, and electronic equipment — is listed for sale.

Tenders are invited to buy these items, and the highest bidder gets what they want. Sometimes, the whole lot is sold together, and sometimes items are sold separately. Small traders often buy from the auction winners.

People from Chattogram city as well as from nearby districts come to Bhatiari in Sitakunda to buy these items. Around a thousand businesses have grown in the area, with yearly transactions worth several crores of taka, according to estimates.

Shops in Bhatiari sell used furniture from ships — beds, kitchen sinks, basins, bathtubs, stairs, locks, chains, ropes, and even decorative items like flower vases. But it is not just used items; you can also find unused goods like soap, toothpaste, and biscuits. Some of these products are exported abroad, while the rest go to local buyers.

The market for these items is always busy. Many people come to Bhatiari to decorate their homes, offices, shops or restaurants. The main appeal of these products is that they are relatively cheap but durable.

While a wooden furniture set may cost Tk80,000 to Tk100,000 in the regular market, it can be found here for only Tk20,000 to Tk30,000. Though they may not look like expensive furniture, these items are trendy and practical for home decoration.

"We have almost all types of home furniture here — sofas, box beds, tea tables, reading tables, dressing tables, wardrobes, cupboards, bookshelves, and more. We have products that cost just a few thousand taka, as well as expensive furniture priced over a lakh," said Mohammad Kaisar, owner of Messrs JK Traders in Bhatiari.

He mentioned that people who are starting a new family, or those who do not have the means or interest to buy furniture from showrooms, come here to get what they need.

People even travel from Dhaka and other parts of the country to shop here, and some even place orders online. However, Kaisar believes there is often a difference in colour or finishing between the photo and the actual product, so he remains cautious with online sales.

However, some online groups and Facebook pages have emerged for selling ship materials, delivering these products to different parts of the country.

Dilara Zaman, 50, from Chattogram city, went to the Sitakunda market to buy a fridge for her son's hostel. However, she ended up buying some decorative items and fancy crockery for home decoration as well.

"The items from ships are durable," said Dilara. "There's no need for beauty in my son's hostel, so I was looking for a good fridge at a low price. I bought a fridge called 'Kelon.' I had never heard of this brand before, but it looked fine. Plus, all the ship items I've bought in the past have provided good service."

She mentioned that the fridge was originally priced at Tk10,000, but she bought it for Tk8,000 after bargaining. "I could never buy one at this price in regular shops," she said.

Mohammad Mizan owns a shop in Madam Bibi's Hat in Sitakunda. He supplies kitchen items and decorative pieces to restaurants across the country.

"We don't just sell for homes, many restaurant owners also buy decorative items and crockery from us," he said. "The advantage of buying from here is the cost, which is much lower. For example, yesterday a customer bought crockery worth Tk30,000. The day before, another customer bought decorative items for Tk18,000. Even many foreigners show interest in these decorative products."

The price of these items is determined based on durability, usability, and demand. However, before finalizing the price, there is always bargaining.

It's not just furniture; ships also carry various electric and electronic products like laptops, computers, washing machines, blenders, ovens, TVs, and fridges. The demand for these items is also high.

Jahannara Begum parked her car in front of the shop and bought an oven, a washing machine, and a sound box. She mentioned that she was buying the oven and washing machine for her village home.

"Since I'm not always in the village, I'm leaving some necessary items there. The used ship products are quite durable, and you get them at a discount," she said. "I bought the soundbox for my son. I'm leaving it in the village this time, to avoid the hassle of moving it back and forth."

A young man was testing a binocular in a shop. It costs only Tk2,000 and comes with a carrying bag. The shopkeeper said, "Young people or those with a more decorative mindset usually buy these. They make great hobby items."

Electronic products that are completely unusable are not thrown away. Instead, they are broken down to collect silver, copper, brass, and even small amounts of gold. "Even from broken machinery, we extract valuable metals. You can call this a form of recycling," said Asad, a shopkeeper.

There is a wide market for electrical wires. Factories, shops, rural electrification projects, and households all have a demand for these wires. They change several hands before reaching the customer.

Wholesale shops for electrical wires have been set up in places like Kumira, Barauiya, Madam Bibi's Hat, Bhatiari, and Kadamtali in the city. These shops sell more than 15 types of cables. Speaking with a few traders revealed that the demand for scrap wires is so high that one shop alone makes over a lakh taka in sales every day.

The price of the wires varies depending on the type, ranging from Tk700-800 per kilogram to as much as Tk2,000. Some wires are also sold by the foot. Because good-quality wires are available at low prices, traders from not only Chattogram but also from places like Dholaikhal in Dhaka and other parts of the country regularly come to Sitakunda.

There is also a special demand for stairs from ships, especially in places where a two-story or mezzanine floor is built in a small space. In Madam Bibi's Hat alone, there are about 10-12 stair shops. However, not all stairs come directly from ships — some are made using the iron or iron sheets from the ships.

These stairs are narrow but heavy and durable. They are sold for Tk1,600 to Tk2,000 per foot. On the other hand, stairs that are cut from old ones or made from scrap iron cost around Tk1,400 to Tk1,500 per foot. Stairs made from local iron are comparatively cheaper, priced at Tk700-800 per foot.

The buyers of these stairs are mainly homeowners, shopkeepers, and restaurant owners. Due to their effectiveness in limited spaces, the demand for these stairs is growing day by day.

Scrapped ships also provide medical equipment, locally known as 'doctor tools'. As there is no scope to go to hospitals while the ship is at sea, the vessels carry essential medical supplies on board. After being purchased in bulk through auctions, much of this equipment is eventually sold in the local retail market.

Ship scrap often contains rare decorative items as well, including paintings so finely crafted that it is difficult to distinguish originals from reproductions. Whether printed or replicated, their elegant framing and binding transform them into luxurious pieces of interior decor.

The prices of these paintings start from around a thousand taka, with some reaching up to Tk20,000. Hand-painted artworks tend to be priced higher. The cost of prints or copies mainly depends on the quality of the frame. 

Abdul Hadi has been in the ship-based decorative item and hobby product business for 25 years.

At his shop, some old guns were also seen. He mentioned that some of these guns came from British-era ships. "Hunters buy them, and some people also keep them as collectibles," he said.

However, due to the relatively low demand, these items are not found in many shops or often hung in a dusty corner. "These things are not for everyone. Those who want them will pick them up even from the dust," Hadi said.

The journey began in the 1960s when the Greek ship 'MD Alpine' got stuck in a cyclone off the coast of Sitakunda. It was the first ship to be dismantled in the region, marking the beginning of ship scrapping. 

However, the commercial journey of ship breaking officially started in 1974 with the Pakistani ship 'Al Abbas.' The ship, damaged during a bombing raid in the Liberation War, was bought as scrap by Karnaphuli Metal Works Limited. This marked the beginning of the commercial ship-breaking industry in Bangladesh.

From the 1980s, the industry gradually gained momentum. Today, ship-breaking products are in demand all across the country. 

Outside of Bhatiari in Sitakunda, various types of products are sold in different areas of Chittagong, including Pahartali CDA Market, Sagarika, West Madarbari, Kadamtali, and Muradpur. Even in Dhaka's Dholaikhal and Sadarghat, scrap ship materials brought from Chittagong are sold.

However, recently, due to the Ukraine-Russia war, the dollar crisis, and other factors, the import of scrap ships has decreased. This has directly impacted shops and businesses dealing with ship-based products, including old furniture, electronic items, and scrap metal.

As a result, many shopkeepers are now forced to sell products from other sources alongside ship-based goods. Some might inform the buyers about this, while others quietly continue selling them under the name 'ship's goods'.