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Greenpeace opposes breaking up of asbestos-carrying cruise liner in Indian shipyard
Written by AP
May 9, 2006

NEW DELHI -- Greenpeace on Tuesday said India should bar a decommissioned Malaysian cruise liner from being dismantled on its shores because it contains toxic substances that could pollute the environment and endanger the health of workers.

Greenpeace said an Indian company, Regent Shipping, had bought the SS France from Star Cruises, a Malaysian company, to break it up at the Alang shipyard in Gujarat state and sell the scrap steel in the Indian market.

"The ship carries over 900 metric tons of asbestos and is contaminated with other toxics material such as the globally banned and cancer-causing chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyl and heavy metals," said Rampati Kumar, a toxics campaigner for Greenpeace.

The ship has already left Malaysia and is scheduled to arrive in Alang later this month, Kumar said.

Three months ago, the French government was forced to recall the asbestos-carrying Clemenceau, a decommissioned French aircraft carrier also bound for Alang, after protests from environmental groups and Indian trade unions.

Greenpeace has written a letter to India's Environment Ministry, but so far there has been no response from the government, Kumar told reporters.

The bulk of the world's ship breaking - considered among one of the most polluting industries - is carried out in yards in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Kumar said the operation at Alang jeopardized the health of nearly 10,000 workers there.

Despite a widespread consensus that Alang should be closed, "there is no political interest beyond lip service within the Indian government about the ship breaking issue," he said.

India's Environment Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

PlanetSave / AP

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See also:

Indian Firms bidding for SS NORWAY

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Cheers

[ 05-09-2006: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

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Ernst wrote:
We all should not forget that the bigger scandal is not that the France is going to be scrapped but how these poor people have to do that - THIS IS A SHAME!

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Well that's what Greenpeace is also fighting about. People at Alang and other third world scrapping yards have been abused for too long, maybe with the recall of CLEMENCEAU and now this issue with SS NORWAY the tide will turn.

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Greenpeace: Clemenceau lesson not learned
May 9, 2006

NEW DELHI, -- Greenpeace has said the Indian government did not learn any lessons from the controversy over the French battleship Clemenceau.

The Hindu newspaper said Wednesday that the imminent arrival of the SS Norway, carrying over 900 tons of asbestos for ship-breaking at Alang, in Gujarat, suggests that the Indian government has learnt nothing from the issues raised by the controversy over the toxic French battleship Clemenceau.

The SS Norway ocean liner left Malaysia's west coast last Friday, and is expected to reach Alang on May 23. It belonged to Malaysian Star Cruise Limited, and was purchased by a private shipping company at Alang for $17 million.

"Despite overwhelming evidence (and) widespread public opinion that Alang is a national shame and must be swiftly reformed, there is no political interest beyond lip service within the government of India about the ship-breaking issue," Ramapati Kumar, Greenpeace activist, said.

Kumar said the SS Norway was contaminated with globally banned and cancer-causing chemicals, known as polychlorinated biphenyl, and heavy metals. Even Bangladesh had refused to permit the ship-breaking to occur on its shores, he added.

A Greenpeace statement said India's Ministry of Environment and Forests had failed to ensure workers' protection and environmental safety at Alang, and that these problems were compounded by the fact that the ship-breaking has no intention of improving conditions.

"If stakeholders in India, led by the government, do not rise to the occasion now and secure Alang's place in the new evolving world order in the shipping industry, the loss will be irretrievable, and India will no longer be a destination of choice for recycling of ships," Kumar warned.

United Press International

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They are not doing this to become rich and live the life of Riley, but to purely exist.

Pam

[ 05-10-2006: Message edited by: PamM ]

The 10,000 workers quoted above, has now fallen to around 3,500 according to here. The real figure is probably between the two.

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Ernst wrote:
Greenpeace is rarely right.

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But not 100 per cent wrong. They are not my favourites, but you do need to give them credit on certain issues, at least it makes people aware of what is going on.

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:

But not 100 per cent wrong. They are not my favourites, but you do need to give them credit on certain issues, at least it makes people aware of what is going on.

******

Cheers

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Originally posted by PamM:
They are not doing this to become rich and live the life of Riley, but to purely exist.

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BigUFan wrote:
...With or without asbestos, shipbreaking is a dangerous activity. But then, much as with trash collection, somebody has to do it.

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...and of course under the right health and safety conditons.

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court refused on Friday to stop a former cruise liner that environmental activists say has hundreds of tonnes of toxic material on board from entering Indian waters.

Greenpeace and other groups say the 46,000-tonne Blue Lady contains more than 900 tonnes of asbestos and is sailing for Alang in the western state of Gujarat to be scrapped.

Indian yards lack the modern technology to safely handle such waste, putting the health of workers at risk, activists say.

The court instead referred the matter to an expert panel appointed by it earlier this year to look into the working conditions at Alang, home to scores of family-run shipbreakers.

"We will not pass any (banning) orders without a report," a judge said after hearing a plea by the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Environment.

The court set the next hearing for July, when it would consider the evidence of experts, but environmental groups say the Blue Lady was expected to enter Indian waters in late May after setting sail from Malaysia.

In February, the French government recalled a mothballed aircraft carrier containing tonnes of asbestos, and being readied for scrapping at the Gujarat yards, after protests and court action led by Greenpeace.

"It is so unfortunate the government has failed to find a comprehensive solution to the problems of the ship-breaking industry that impact on workers' health," Ramapati Kumar, a Greenpeace campaigner said.

Thousands of workers in the ship-breaking industry in countries such as India, China and Pakistan had probably died over the past two decades in accidents or exposure to toxic waste, a Greenpeace report published in December said.

But it's not only Alang but al scrapyards in devoleping country's. Maybe interresting to look at the owners of ships. And force theme to take actions so that there ships can be dismanteled in a safe way. I now it's populair talk and i have no idea how you cane force shipowners to take action, so there ships can dismanteled in a safe way.

Alang Yard Back In News

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Originally posted by Vaccaro:
When you read the article from the above link, you'll find this:
"Mr. Kanakiya said he was not even aware if any Alang-based consortium had bought the ship, claimed to be the second largest in the world after the ill-fated Titanic..."

...who "claimed" that? ...probably a well informed journalist, not full of popular and easy clichés again...

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Are they talking about France??? second largest to Titanic????!?!?

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Originally posted by J.S.S.Normandie:
I really wsh these people would do their research.

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... that SS Norway, better known as Blue Lady, was on its way to Alang ...

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