US ships usually sell for a penny
Now days they do. A couple of years back, American ship breakers paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for decom. naval and Marad ships. When scrap prices were high, U.S. breakers can make money. With OSHA and EPA requirements for hazardous material removal and disposition in place, scrap prices have to be very hi in order to make a profit. Before scrap prices spiked, the Navy and Marad had to pay to have ships broken up.