Reading about preservation verses scrap I keep reading about high scrap prices. Here's the numbers I've got for prep scrap i.e. ready to feed to the furnace. This is gross ton price. (Steel)Dec 04 255.00Jan. 225.00Feb. 215.00Mar. 155.00Apr. 115.00May.103.00June. 83.00July. 83.00 Aug. 125.00 The Turkish market is starting to drive the price back up a little but they are not near the buyer that china was, so it probally will not keep the prices up till china buys again. The reason for posting this, is to make the point that this could be a good time to go after items that are worth less with scrap down. That and alot of people here are still under the impression that scrap is high. The price of oil driving up transportation costs will not help the price go up.

That coincides with what I have heard recently in regards to ships being sent for scrapping in India. Some of the recent arrivals have been anchored off-shore rather than beached waiting for scrap prices to rise again.It does help from the standpoint that with scrap metal prices AND fuel costs rising; it made perfect sense to send fully operational steamships in perfect running order to the breakers, and some were. With one side of the equation now down; any steamships or similiar equipment remaining may get a reprive to see if scrap metal prices will go back up, or fuel prices back down (not likely ever).It might also give a glimmer of hope that more might be preserved rather than sent for scrapping without any further thought.-James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project

That all makes sense to me too. But here's what's in todays news:August 13: As the NORWAY (ex FRANCE) sits anchored in the haze off Pt. Klang, Malaysia, rumors have begun to rumble once again about the 44 year old ship. Apparently, her turbines are still dismantled, making her imminent use as an active, albeit slowed-down cruise or casino ship in the region unlikely. Further, contacts in the region have reported inspections by 14 Indian scrap merchants had been undertaken and that there was a possibility the ship could be towed to Goa, India in the next few weeks.I wish scrap prices could save the old monarch, but I suspect not. Mark D.