In the midst of growing European dissent concerning the impending arrival of the first four of 13 ex-naval vessels from the US "ghost fleet," the Basel Action Network (BAN), Geneva, and Friends of the Earth U.K., London, jointly released a new report, Needless Risk, today.
According to a press release issued by BAN, the report details not only the environmental threat posed by the risky towage of aged naval vessels, but also asserts that the United States has adequate technical capacity to deal with the ships safely at home and that the trans-oceanic shipments are in contradiction with national and international law.
The report states that:
* The four ships now being hauled by tug contain 350 tons of PCBs, more than 620 tons of asbestos and more than 470 tons of old fuel oil.
* At least two domestic ship recycling firms in the USA offered to do the job for less money than AbleUK, the ship recycler in England that won the USA bid.
* The insurance levels demanded by the contract are dwarfed by the potential costs of clean-up operations should a major cataclysmic oil spill occur.
* The risk assessment that was prepared for AbleUK admittedly did not consider that the ships were in bad physical condition.
* Tandem towing operations such as those being conducted are forbidden in the U.S. Navy and are not insurable within the U.S. because of the high risks posed.
* Eleven of the 13 ships due for export are among a list of 40 ships posing the largest environmental threat in the whole "ghost fleet."
* Despite assurances and a contract stating that the ships will be dismantled in a drydock, no dry-dock exists presently no do permits to construct the dry-dock, creating a situation where the ships will likely have to be cut into over water.
"International law requires an adequate facility capable of protecting human health and the environment," Jim Puckett of BAN says. "It is hard to imagine how cutting into these PCB and asbestos laden hulks over water, without containment and adjacent to a marine sanctuary, can be considered adequate and protective. Even if these floating time-bombs make it across the Atlantic and up the English Channel without mishap, there's a potential disaster waiting to happen in Teesside."
The BAN release states that the shipments were strongly condemned by Margot Wallstrom, European Commissioner, and Parliamentarians in the European Parliament Monday. The commission will release a legal opinion in a few weeks. Meanwhile the Belgian Minister of Transport and Minister for the North Sea, have written letters of protest and concern to the United Kingdom, and Belgian authorities have confirmed that Belgium, as a transit state, has not received prior notification from the U.S. as required under international law, according to BAN.
Environmental groups are especially concerned about the precedent that will be set if the U.S. is allowed to circumvent its own national law which bans the export of PCBs. They are particularly concerned with the keen interest the Bush administration has indicated to export the bulk of the "ghost fleet" to China where workers are paid very low wages and must toil without the social, legal and medical safety-net U.S. or European workers enjoy, according to the release.
"This export to the U.K. could give the Bush Administration a terrible precedent and first foot out the door to begin the wholesale dumping of this fleet of toxic ships on poor Asian communities," Michael Childs of Friends of the Earth U.K. says. "But whether it's the U.K. or China, we should not be throwing our toxic trash on our global neighbors. The U.S.A. has a dozen companies that are able to do the job safely and with a minimum of risky transport. Why on earth are they sending this toxic trash to Europe?"
As the result of a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., by the Sierra Club, BAN and Earthjustice, the first four of the 13 vessels contracted to be disposed of by AbleUK were permitted to be exported, while the remaining nine were blocked by the presiding judge. Since the ruling, the U.S. Maritime Administration has agreed not to export any more ships until at least April and will prepare an environmental assessment in the meantime. The first two vessels are expected to arrive in Teesside November 5.
* The four ships now being hauled by tug contain 350 tons of PCBs, more than 620 tons of asbestos and more than 470 tons of old fuel oil.
* At least two domestic ship recycling firms in the USA offered to do the job for less money than AbleUK, the ship recycler in England that won the USA bid.
* The insurance levels demanded by the contract are dwarfed by the potential costs of clean-up operations should a major cataclysmic oil spill occur.
* The risk assessment that was prepared for AbleUK admittedly did not consider that the ships were in bad physical condition.
* Tandem towing operations such as those being conducted are forbidden in the U.S. Navy and are not insurable within the U.S. because of the high risks posed.
* Eleven of the 13 ships due for export are among a list of 40 ships posing the largest environmental threat in the whole "ghost fleet."
* Despite assurances and a contract stating that the ships will be dismantled in a drydock, no dry-dock exists presently no do permits to construct the dry-dock, creating a situation where the ships will likely have to be cut into over water.
"International law requires an adequate facility capable of protecting human health and the environment," Jim Puckett of BAN says. "It is hard to imagine how cutting into these PCB and asbestos laden hulks over water, without containment and adjacent to a marine sanctuary, can be considered adequate and protective. Even if these floating time-bombs make it across the Atlantic and up the English Channel without mishap, there's a potential disaster waiting to happen in Teesside."
The BAN release states that the shipments were strongly condemned by Margot Wallstrom, European Commissioner, and Parliamentarians in the European Parliament Monday. The commission will release a legal opinion in a few weeks. Meanwhile the Belgian Minister of Transport and Minister for the North Sea, have written letters of protest and concern to the United Kingdom, and Belgian authorities have confirmed that Belgium, as a transit state, has not received prior notification from the U.S. as required under international law, according to BAN.
Environmental groups are especially concerned about the precedent that will be set if the U.S. is allowed to circumvent its own national law which bans the export of PCBs. They are particularly concerned with the keen interest the Bush administration has indicated to export the bulk of the "ghost fleet" to China where workers are paid very low wages and must toil without the social, legal and medical safety-net U.S. or European workers enjoy, according to the release.
"This export to the U.K. could give the Bush Administration a terrible precedent and first foot out the door to begin the wholesale dumping of this fleet of toxic ships on poor Asian communities," Michael Childs of Friends of the Earth U.K. says. "But whether it's the U.K. or China, we should not be throwing our toxic trash on our global neighbors. The U.S.A. has a dozen companies that are able to do the job safely and with a minimum of risky transport. Why on earth are they sending this toxic trash to Europe?"
As the result of a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., by the Sierra Club, BAN and Earthjustice, the first four of the 13 vessels contracted to be disposed of by AbleUK were permitted to be exported, while the remaining nine were blocked by the presiding judge. Since the ruling, the U.S. Maritime Administration has agreed not to export any more ships until at least April and will prepare an environmental assessment in the meantime. The first two vessels are expected to arrive in Teesside November 5.