The decision follows claims by a number of environmental groups that the vessel was laden with asbestos, as well as other toxic materials.
Critics of the contract claimed that there was far more asbestos on the vessel than originally claimed. Some opponents said that the vessel contained as much as ten times the 50 tons of asbestos that was claimed.
According to published reports the vessel has been marooned off the Indian coast for several weeks as courts in France and India decided on whether or not to allow the transfer. However, with the decision by the French court the vessel will be taken back to French water.
The initial plan was for the vessel to be transferred to Alang, India, where it would be dismantled and the metal sold for scrap. However, Greenpeace, among other groups, said that ship dismantlers in India were not equipped to handle the toxic material.
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