A ship reaches the end of it working life after 20-30 years and is sold as scrap and dismantled to recover the steel. Almost 90% can be reused as high-quality steel. The problem is that the remaining 10% contains high quantities of dangerous waste. In the 1970s, ships were dismantled in European ports. It was a complex and mechanised industrial operation. Greater environmental regulation, and higher security and health standards, however, increased the costs and the industry moved its operations to cheaper countries, in particular those in Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, India and China), as well as Turkey. In contravention of the Basel Convention, which bans the export of dangerous waste to developing countries, ships are now being dismantled overseas. In these countries, workers often lack protection, and health and safety standards are poor. A great quantity of waste is dumped directly into the environment.