Two Ships from Ghost Fleet Depart for Final Scrapping

The Canopus and the Compass Island were towed from the James River Reserve Fleet in Newport News, Va., Oct. 16th. These, plus the two World War II-era ships which were towed on Oct. 13, bringing to four the number of ships removed from the fleet this week. All four will be dismantled at the Able UK facility in the Teesside area of northeastern England as part of pilot project authorized by Congress, directing the disposal of four ships overseas in an environmentally responsible and fiscally sound manner.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta praised the combination of determination by the Bush Administration and a long-awaited appropriation from Congress that made it possible for the MARAD to move the ships out.

"As stewards of the environment, the responsible disposal of obsolete ships is a high priority for the Department of Transportation," said Secretary Mineta. "The Bush administration has met this important challenge successfully, and the departure of two more ships is an important measure of progress."

"The Maritime Administration and the people of Virginia have been waiting 10 years to see these obsolete ships moved out of the James River," said Maritime Administrator Captain William G. Schubert. "Now that we have the ability to take important steps, we're looking forward to the departure of more of our high-priority vessels."

So far this year, the U.S. Maritime Administration has awarded the following contracts for removal of ships from its fleet:

ESCO Marine of Brownsville, Texas, was awarded a contract for one ship, $1,449,725.

Marine Metals of Brownsville, Texas, was awarded a contract for one ship, $414,768.

Marine Metals also dismantled another ship, for which it was awarded a contract in 2002.

Post-Service Remediation Partners (PRP) of New York, New York (now a subsidiary of AbleUK): 15 ships, $14,846,338.

Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a contract for five ships, $2,763,082.

Resolve Marine Group, Port Everglade, Florida, was awarded a contract for one ship, the Albert E. Watts, located in Mobile Bay, Alabama, $3,465,779.

Twenty four ships either have been removed or scheduled for removal from MARAD's fleet this year, 23 of them from the James River Reserve Fleet. MARAD is acting on a statutory deadline of September 30, 2006 to dispose of the obsolete ships in a manner that provides the best value to the government and without predisposition for foreign or domestic facilities.