Gadani's shipyard workers
![Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/14afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Workers use blow torches to cut up metal broken off vessels beached at one of the ship-breaking plots. ? Photo by AFP Workers use blow torches to cut up metal broken off vessels beached at one of the ship-breaking plots. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/1afp-670-450.jpg)
![A worker uses a blow torch to cut through metal inside the hull of a vessel. ? Photo of AFP A worker uses a blow torch to cut through metal inside the hull of a vessel. ? Photo of AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/2afp-670-450.jpg)
![A worker takes a break from clearing out the inside of the hull of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker takes a break from clearing out the inside of the hull of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/3afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Workers take a break from work as they crouch on a platform of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP Workers take a break from work as they crouch on a platform of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/4afp-670-4503.jpg)
![Workers carry sacks filled with scrap metal pieces they picked up on the shore. ? Photo by AFP Workers carry sacks filled with scrap metal pieces they picked up on the shore. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/5afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker is enveloped in the fumes coming off a separating wall he is cutting through with his a blow torch. ? Photo by AFP A worker is enveloped in the fumes coming off a separating wall he is cutting through with his a blow torch. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/6afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A recently beached cargo vessel waits to be dismantled. ? Photo by AFP A recently beached cargo vessel waits to be dismantled. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/7afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker pulls on a wire attached to a motor that will help peel away part of the outer structure of a beached vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls on a wire attached to a motor that will help peel away part of the outer structure of a beached vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/8afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker pulls on a wire he will connect to a thick chain that will in turn be used to peel away a slab of the outer structure of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls on a wire he will connect to a thick chain that will in turn be used to peel away a slab of the outer structure of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/9afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/10afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker washes himself at the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP A worker washes himself at the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/11afp-670-4504.jpg)
![A worker pulls water from a well to wash himself after the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls water from a well to wash himself after the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/12afp-670-4504.jpg)
![A worker ends his shift cutting through metal inside the hull of a cargo ship. ? Photo by AFP A worker ends his shift cutting through metal inside the hull of a cargo ship. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/13afp-670-4503.jpg)
![Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/14afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Workers use blow torches to cut up metal broken off vessels beached at one of the ship-breaking plots. ? Photo by AFP Workers use blow torches to cut up metal broken off vessels beached at one of the ship-breaking plots. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/1afp-670-450.jpg)
![A worker uses a blow torch to cut through metal inside the hull of a vessel. ? Photo of AFP A worker uses a blow torch to cut through metal inside the hull of a vessel. ? Photo of AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/2afp-670-450.jpg)
![A worker takes a break from clearing out the inside of the hull of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker takes a break from clearing out the inside of the hull of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/3afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Workers take a break from work as they crouch on a platform of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP Workers take a break from work as they crouch on a platform of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/4afp-670-4503.jpg)
![Workers carry sacks filled with scrap metal pieces they picked up on the shore. ? Photo by AFP Workers carry sacks filled with scrap metal pieces they picked up on the shore. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/5afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker is enveloped in the fumes coming off a separating wall he is cutting through with his a blow torch. ? Photo by AFP A worker is enveloped in the fumes coming off a separating wall he is cutting through with his a blow torch. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/6afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A recently beached cargo vessel waits to be dismantled. ? Photo by AFP A recently beached cargo vessel waits to be dismantled. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/7afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker pulls on a wire attached to a motor that will help peel away part of the outer structure of a beached vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls on a wire attached to a motor that will help peel away part of the outer structure of a beached vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/8afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker pulls on a wire he will connect to a thick chain that will in turn be used to peel away a slab of the outer structure of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls on a wire he will connect to a thick chain that will in turn be used to peel away a slab of the outer structure of a vessel. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/9afp-670-4502.jpg)
![Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/10afp-670-4503.jpg)
![A worker washes himself at the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP A worker washes himself at the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/11afp-670-4504.jpg)
![A worker pulls water from a well to wash himself after the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP A worker pulls water from a well to wash himself after the end of his shift. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/12afp-670-4504.jpg)
![A worker ends his shift cutting through metal inside the hull of a cargo ship. ? Photo by AFP A worker ends his shift cutting through metal inside the hull of a cargo ship. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/13afp-670-4503.jpg)
![Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP Shipyard workers walk past cut metal pieces and other remnants of a dismantled ship laid out on the yard in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani. ? Photo by AFP](https://i.dawn.com/2012/09/14afp-670-4502.jpg)
Some 40Kms west of Karachi, Gadani's ship-breaking yards employ about 10,000 workers including welders, cleaners, crane operators and worker supervisors. The yards are one of the largest ship-breaking operations in the world rivaling in size those located in India and Bangladesh. It takes 50 workers about three months to break down a midsize average transport sea vessel of about 40,000 tonnes.
The multimillion-dollar ship-breaking industry contributes significantly to the national supply of steel to Pakistani industries. For a six-day working week of hard and often dangerous work handling asbestos, heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), employees get paid about 300 USD a month of which half is spent on food and rent for run-down rickety shacks near the yards, a labour representative told AFP.