GREENPEACE PREVENTS TOXIC DUMPING IN INDIA

10 December 1999

NEW DELHI/AMSTERDAM -- Having chained themselves to an anchor line overnight, Greenpeace activists successfully delayed the beaching of cargo vessel 'Clare' destined for breaking at Alang - the world’s largest shipbreaking yard in India. The export of hazardous ships-for-scrap to Asian shipbreaking yards, such as the highly polluted and unsafe facility in Alang, is effectively toxic waste dumping.

In the four days of protests by the Rainbow Warrior in Alang, Greenpeace counted more than 60 ships in various stages of breaking. Of these, several ships were positively identified as having OECD operator/ownership, including Greek, German, UK, and American. The exports hazardous ships-for-scrap from rich OECD countries, in particular from European Union (EU) nations, to Asia is in breach of the Basel Convention and violates the spirit and intent of the EU law banning exports of hazardous wastes to poor non-OECD countries.

The dangerous practice of "toxic" ships being scrapped in unsound labour and environmental conditions also takes place in Bangladesh, China, Philippines and Pakistan.

"With our direct action against the exports of toxic ships-for- scrap we have highlighted that it's business as usual for toxic waste traders. The Basel Convention should sincerely address this blatant violation of the environmental and occupational rights of the people of poorer countries," said Nityanand Jayaraman, Asia Toxic campaigner on board the Rainbow Warrior.

Old ships contain large amounts of many hazardous substances, including asbestos and toxic heavy metals and biocides. These poisons are released to the environment and the workers are exposed to them during the process of breaking. Over the years, rich nations have stopped breaking their ships in their own countries for fear of environmental and worker safety liability. The dirty industry has now moved to poorly regulated areas in Asia.

Greenpeace calls the Indian government to implement the 1997 Supreme Court import ban on hazardous waste and live up to its commitment to the Basel Convention.

Greenpeace is not opposed to shipbreaking but demands that:

1) Ship-owners or operators remove the hazardous material from the ship prior to sending it for scrapping;

2) Ship-owners or operators present a complete inventory of all the hazardous materials and constituents on board of the vessel.

Ministers from over 120 countries currently meeting in Switzerland for the 10th aniversary of the Basel Convention failed to achieve a strong liability and compensation agreement to the victims of waste trade even though they reafirmed their commitment to the ratification of the Basel Ban (ban on hazardous waste exports from rich to less industrialized nations) and demanded stronger emphasis on curbing hazardous waste generation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Nityanand Jayaraman, Greenpeace International Campaigner, mobile tel: +91 9820194022,
- Rainbow Warrior +873 130 2412 (satellite phone costs US$ 10 per minute);
- Shailendra Yashwant, Campaign/Media Liaison in India, mobile tel: +91 9820182304;
- Marcelo Furtado, Greenpeace International Toxic Trade Campaigner, Greenpeace Delhi Office, tel; +91 11 4313458/4310651);
- Teresa Merilainen, Media Coordinator Greenpeace International in Amsterdam, tel: +31 20 524 9546.

Photographs and video footage available on request.

Additional information available at www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/toxfreeasia

News pictures available at www.greenpeace.org/library/picturedesk