WEST CONTINUES TO SEND "TOXIC" SHIPS TO INDIA

8 December 1999

NEW DELHI/AMSTERDAM -- Greenpeace today highlighted the continuing dangerous practice of sending Western-owned or operated "toxic"ships to developing countries such as India for dismantling. Workers in developing countries are being exposed to asbestos and other poisons from ships broken up in unsound labour and environmental condition yards in India, Bangladesh, China, Philippines and Pakistan.

This morning, at Alang in western India - the world's largest shipbreaking yard - activists from the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior painted warning signs on the hull of the Global Sao Paulo, a Greek operated vessel waiting to be dismantled. Another six vessels were in the area ready to be scrapped. Greenpeace displayed a banner in an inflatable boat in front of the yard to highlight the danger to workers caused by scrapping of toxics ships. Of the 14 vessels already beached and being scrapped at Alang, some were run by Greek, UK and German operators.

The exports of toxic ships-for-scrap from rich nations to developing world is a toxic waste dumping practice under the guise of recycling. This trade is a violation of the international Basel Convention Ban and of the India laws. The parties to the Basel Convention meeting in Switzerland this week have decided to request immediate action in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to address the issue.

"Every toxic ship that comes to Asian shores claims its cost in terms of destroyed environment and poisoned lives. Greenpeace is here in solidarity with the workers in the yards to ensure their safety is not compromised and that environmental movement and trade unions are working together towards that", said Nityanand Jayaraman, Asia Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace International on board the Rainbow Warrior.

Greenpeace demands that:

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

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

"Greenpeace is not opposed to the scrapping of vessels. However, we want to ensure that the export of ships-for-scrap are not used as an excuse to dump hazardous wastes, such as asbestos, PCBs and heavy metals, on Asian shores. The ships that are sent to Asia must be decontaminated," said Marcelo Furtado, Greenpeace International Toxic Trade Campaigner.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Nityanand Jayaraman, Greenpeace International Campaigner, mobile +91 9820194022;
- Rainbow Warrior +873 130 2412 (satellite phone costs US$ 10 per minute);
- Shailendra Yashwant, Campaign/Media Liaison in India, mobile +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 5249546.

Photographs and video footage available on request.

Additional information available at www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/toxtrade/shipb.html

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

Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network (BAN) have documented shipbreaking activity in Asia since 1997: Greenpeace investigations over the last two years have revealed the unsound labor and environmental conditions at shipbreaking yards in Alang and Mumbai, in India, as well as in China, Bangladesh and Philippines. In October 1998, Greenpeace investigation in Alang and Mumbai revealed high levels of contamination as a result of poisonous substances released to the environment as a result of shipbreaking. One analysis places 25 percent of workers in Alang to be at risk of contracting cancer due to exposure to carcinogens during shipbreaking.

Of the world's commercial shipping fleet of almost 50,000 ocean-going ships every year, approximately 700 are scrapped. The average age of these ships to be scrapped is 29 years. A scrapped ship contains a wide range of toxic substances. In Europe, such materials are subject to special monitoring and their disposal is highly regulated and expensive. With the European Union having ratified the Basel Ban, exports of hazardous ships-for-scrap from Europe are a clear violation of the spirit and intent of the Basel Convention and European Hazardous Waste Export Ban.

The import of toxic wastes, including hazardous ships-for-scrap, into India is in violation of the May 1997 Supreme Court direction prohibiting toxic waste imports.

The fifth Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention is taking place in Basel, Switzerland in December 6-10. For more details on the Basel Convention, contact Greenpeace.