Inside the shipbreaking yards of Chittagong - in pictures

A shipbreaking yard near Chittagong, Bangladesh Photograph: Claudio Cambon/Alamy

Bangladesh's steel supply comes almost entirely from the shipbreaking industry but PCBs and oil deposits are left on beaches as part of the process Photograph: Andrew Holbrooke/Corbis

Shipbreakers use a metal rope to drag large sections cut from the hull closer to shore
Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

The shipbreaking teams sleep for a few hours onsite before heading back to work Photograph: Rex Features

People employed by the dismantling companies take apart the giant carcasses, which contain asbestos and other toxic materials, without protective clothing or proper equipment Photograph: Rex Features

Shipbreakers are exposed to toxic waste and oil residue as they break the sheet metal into pieces
Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

The oil tanker Lara 1 is dismantled in the Rising Steel shipbreaking yard
Photograph: John Vidal/The Observer

Workers carry material in the shipbreaking yard
Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Workers stand near the tanker Lara 1
Photograph: Larry Luxner/The Observer

Heavy physical labour is necessary as the workers lack the proper machinery
Photograph: John Vidal/The Observer

The partly demolished hull of the tanker Lara 1
Photograph: Larry Luxner/The Observer

A shipbreaker uses a welding torch to break up a ship
Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian