Nouadhibou – Is This The Largest Ship Graveyard in the World.. is it TRUE?

Nouadhibou is a major metropolis in the poverty-ridden North-west African country of Mauritania. 
Situated in the peninsula of Nouadhibou, after which it takes its name, the city is a vital hub of trade and commerce.

The city’s development goes back to the time when the country was occupied by French colonists. Its geographic suitability and the easy accessibility via the maritime routes specifically attracted the attention of the colonists who not only developed it to thriving proportions but also christened it as ‘Port Etienne.’ Mauritania gained independence from France in the year 1960 and the port city was renamed to its present-day titular reference.

However the idea of using the peninsula as a ship graveyard predates back to the days of the country’s French colonisation during the 20s and peaked to substantial heights during the 80s.

The country’s economic degeneration during the 80s forced the bureaucrats and maritime authorities to allow ship owners to dump their eroded ships in the waters surrounding the peninsula. The exact number of such discarded Nouadhibou ships has varied quite extensively in the three decades that the location has been exploited as a vessel graveyard.

Iron in its ore form and fishing are two of Nouadhibou’s biggest exports. The discarded ships lying in the peninsular waters thus provide viable iron components to increase the city’s exporting operations. In a similar fashion, the inlets of water between the vessels lying around have become a spawning locale for various kinds of fishes. These two aspects in-turn act as sources of employment for the local population. These factors have also resulted in the Nouadhibou ships being regarded as indispensable by the locals, in terms of generating much-needed revenue and income.