Midnight Shipyard Dry Dock Karbala Tanker Scaffolding

Orange welding flares punctuate the midnight darkness, casting sharp, geometric shadows against the massive curved hull of a tanker resting in a dry dock. Scaffolding rings the vessel in a precise, symmetrical grid of steel poles and wooden planks. Sodium-vapor lamps bathe the periphery in a hazy, amber glow, revealing the dusty, cracked earth of the worksite near Karbala. The dry season leaves the ground bare and light brown, against the dark, oily sheen of the ship's steel. Metal ladders climb the scaffolding, their rungs reflecting the intermittent sparks. A heavy chain hangs from a crane arm above, its links thick and rusted, resting against the ship's side.