“Ghost Fleet” is an informal term for the National Defense Reserve Fleet of the USA which consists of functional warships decommissioned after WWII. The majority were sold or dismantled before the 1980s. The rest remained for the reason that new environmental regulations and higher minimum wage make the dismantling and recycling financially unviable. In 2007, the water pollution caused by the surface chemicals of the ships in Suisun Bay, San Francisco brought the ghost fleet back to public attention. In response, the government determined to finish dismantling the ghost fleet by 2017.
“幽灵舰队”是美国预备役舰队的别称，由二战结束后退役的舰艇组成。其中大部分在80年代前被出售或者拆解。剩下的被搁置在五个军港。由于后来严格的环境保护政策和提升后的工人最低薪金使得拆解船只并回首材料变得无利可图。2007年，旧金山穗孙湾里的部分船只船体化学品脱落污染水域。这使得“幽灵舰队”重回公众视野。作为回应，政府决定在2017年前完全拆解剩余船只。
Rather than a domestic issue of the USA, "ghost fleet" is a global phenomenon. Each year, thousands of decommissioned ships are sold at the price of scrap metal to scrapping yards in Asia. China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as the dominating figures in the ship scrapping industry, host 77% in number and 98% in deadweight tonnage of ship scrapping activities in 2011.
Especially for the mentioned South Asian countries, the high demand for steel, small domestic supply, abundant cheap workforce, and lenient environmental regulations make the labor-intensive and contaminating ship-scrapping a viable business in these regions. It’s almost like a ritual for the scattered members of the ghost fleet to make their last sails across half of the globe so they could assemble at these ship-scrapping yards to embrace their death.
“幽灵舰队” 不仅仅是美国国内问题而是全球性现象。每年数以千计的退役船只以废铁的价格被出售给亚洲的拆船厂。中国，印度，巴基斯坦和孟加拉作为全球拆解船只的主导角色，包揽了以数量计70%和以吨量计98%的全球拆船业务。
特别是对提到的南亚国家来说，对钢材的高需求低产出，充足的廉价劳动力和宽松的环境政策使得拆船这么一个污染严重并且劳动密集型的产业变得有利可图。就像是一场仪式，散落四海的幽灵舰队成员，开启它们最后一次航行，穿过半个地球，聚集在这些拆船厂来用拥抱死亡。
Comparing the floor areas, the steel used, and construction costs or purchasing prizes of most gigantic ships to some of the prominent buildings makes it obvious that these decommissioned marine structures possess great architectural potential.
把最大型的各类船只和著名建筑在室内面积，用钢量和造价或者售价上进行比较体现出这些海洋构建的建筑潜质。
The Singapore Nautical Chart is colored to indicate the past history and the future ambition of Singapore land reclamation. By the year 2013, 17% of 725.7 km2 is the direct result of land reclamation. The percentage has been foreseen to be doubled by the year 2030 according to the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority.
The radical alteration to the natural coast has caused the loss of 65% of coral coverage and 96% of coastal mangroves. Even if the environmental catastrophe is the minor concern of the political leaders, the desperate craving for land will soon be confronted by its natural limitations. The water depth of 15m，as the threshold for economical land reclamation will soon be reached. The land reclamation expands the boundary of territorial water, causing controversial encroachment into that of the adjacent countries. Indonesia has protested by banning sand export to Singapore. And Malaysia has always been holding water export which contributes to 50% of Singapore’s consumption as a bargaining tool.
Land reclamation is therefore environmentally, economically, and politically unsustainable.
填色后的新加坡海域图展示了新加坡填海造地的历和未来计划。到2013，725.7平方千米的国土面积中的17%直接来源于填海造地。而在新加坡市区重建局计划将这一百分比于2030年翻倍。
激进的环境改造使新加坡海域丧失了65%的珊瑚覆盖和96%的沿海红树林。即便环境灾难只是政治领袖的此要考虑，对陆地的需求也将很快遇到其自然瓶颈。15米的水深线作为经济填海的极限很快便会被覆盖。另外填海造成的水域扩展引来蚕食邻国水域的争议。印尼曾以禁止向新加坡出口沙石的方式抗议。而马来西亚始终手握作为新加坡50%的水资源消耗的自来水出口作为谈判筹码。
填海造地因此在环境，经济和政治上都不可持续。
As a concept demonstration of "superuse", this project transforms decommissioned ships into a hub for Singapore's creative industry where start-ups enjoy low rent for workspace and residences.
作为“超利用”的概念示范，本项目将退役舰艇改造成新加坡的创意产业园。在这里，初创公司可享受低价的工作空间和生活空间。
