Modern steel ships are made to work sea routes and worksites for thirty years, or more, if maintained properly and if their purpose is viable still. A commercial ship can travel many millions of miles in its life. At the end of its life, when increasing maintenance costs negatively impact the operating profit and it can no longer compete with new technology and cleaner and more efficient propulsion, a ship is sold to a scrap yard that commits to being ‘broken’. Shipbreaking is the process of disassembling a vessel that needs to be retired. Watch this video to see a shipbreaking process unfold in Scotland.