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Regular Updates from the Crew aboard the Ship, MV Greenpeace.

OCTOBER 6 - ANTWERP HARBOUR

40 Greenpeace activists from Belgium, the Netherlands, UK and Germany today blocked the ship MSC Carmen in dry-dock in Antwerp harbour, Belgium.

The activists have prevented the ship from leaving the dock, where it has been repainted with antifouling paint that contains the toxic biocide TBT (tributyl tin). Greenpeace wants the Belgian government as well as the harbour authorities and the ships owner to stop using TBT paints and switch to available alternatives.

TBT will leach from the ship hull once the ship is in contact with the water again. The release of TBT is relatively high especially during the first couple of days.

This, together with the TBT pollution from the paint removal in docks, is the most likely reason why Greenpeace found high TBT levels around docks in Belgium and Germany. Elevated TBT levels are also found around shipping lanes indicating that TBT painted ship's hulls are a TBT source.

In sludge samples from the Zeebrugge and Antwerp harbours Greenpeace found TBT levels up to 10,000 ppm (microgram per kilogram). According to the Belgian federal government, the maximum level for dumping sludge at Sea is 7 ppm. The biocide TBT is not registered for use in Belgium therefore under Belgium law its use is illegal. Belgium should implement their existing ban by prohibiting further sales of TBT paint and so taking the lead on TBT elimination within the EU and OSPAR countries.

This action in Belgium is Greenpeace’s third exposé of TBT pollution in Europe in the last couple of weeks, after Rotterdam and Hamburg. The MV Greenpeace is currently touring Europe to remind governments to take steps to eliminate the release of hazardous substances into the environment as agreed to at the 1998 OSPAR conference. TBT is widely dispersed in the marine environment, even though it was introduced as a ship paint only some 25 years ago. This is a clear example of a substance that should not have been introduced on the market in the first place and must be phased out as soon as possible as alternatives are available.