Their glory days behind them, decommissioned ocean liners end their lives in ship graveyards, most often in developing countries. The evening edition takes you on a tour.

Swimming pools, cinemas, restaurants, and even ice rinks… The cruise industry is pulling out all the stops on its fully equipped ships to attract an ever-growing and increasingly younger clientele, reports Le Marin. After a slump linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector has resumed its rapid growth. “It broke a new record with 34.6 million passengers in 2024,” states the newspaper Les Échos.

More than 500 cruise ships

Consequently, since the 1980s, the fleet has steadily grown, now exceeding 500 ships according to figures from the NGO Transport & Environment. Inevitably, these vessels age and become obsolete. After their years of service, they are shipped far from prestigious ports of call to be dismantled and partially recycled, alongside other giants of the seas, container ships, and other cargo vessels.

These operations most often take place in ship graveyards located in developing countries, even though legislation requires vessels flying the European flag to choose sites controlled for environmental and human rights compliance. “But since this only applies to flags, shipowners circumvent this legislation by simply changing the flag when the vessel reaches the end of its life,” explained Julia Bleckner, author of a Human Rights Watch report on the subject, in a 2023 interview with France Inter radio. “These are called ‘flags of convenience,’ sold by intermediaries based outside Europe so as not to have to comply with the law.”