Pollutions and Traffics

Les déchets produits en Europe et aux Etats-Unis et exportés par voie maritime dans des pays incapables de les stocker ont tracé la ligne directrice de Robin des Bois sur la gestion des déchets : proximité, responsabilité et solidarité. En vertu de ces trois principes, Robin des Bois ne s’oppose pas systématiquement à l’ouverture de lieux de stockage ou de traitement des déchets. Aujourd’hui, le trafic de déchets s’organise autour de directives européennes et de conventions internationales statiques, faciles à détourner et à interprétations multiples. Les déchets électroniques et d’autres ex-produits de consommation et de bien être « à recycler » prennent la fuite.

Latest news : ex-Probo Koala

3 Jun 2011

The Gulf Jash, ex- Probo Koala, is anchored in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Today, June 3rd GMS, U.S. based ship broker, denies ownership of the ship. Under this hypothesis, it is for Dubai based Gulf Navigation, owner of the ex- Probo Koala since 2006, to clarify the conditions of the sale and the destination of the vessel.

In accordance with Robin des Bois’ (“Robin Hood” international association based in Paris) press release published May 17th 2011, the Equasis database displays, since May 31st that the Gulf Jash ex-Probo Koala, the Gulf Ahmadi ex-Probo Bison and the Gulf Shagra ex-Probo Panda are indeed “to be broken up”.

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Probo Koala To Bangladesh: Refused

28 May 2011

Warned by Robin des Bois as early as May 17th 2011 of the Probo Koala’s imminent arrival to be beached for demolition (1), Bangladesh authorities, through its Ministry of Environment & Forest have just closed access to the demolition shipyard to this ship whose last known name was Gulf Jash, IMO number 8309816. This is the first time a ship destined to demolition is turned away from Bangladesh waters. The decision is justified by the history of this tanker and the particularly toxic residue still possibly on board. The list of these substances and a draft of the ship can be found here.

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Probo Koala : The Death Boat heading to the Cemetery

17 May 2011

The Probo Koala vessel which spread death and panic in Abidjan during the summer of 2006 has just been sold by her last owner to a demolisher in Bangladesh for $ 7.7 million. Currently off the coast of China, she should be beached in Chittagong under the name of Gulf Jash within the next few days. The Greek owner had in fact sold the Probo Koala to Gulf Navigation based in Dubai.

Built in 1989, at Korean Shipbuilding & Engineering shipyards, the Probo Koala was used by the multinational company Trafigura to produce low-grade gasoline from highly sulphurised oil off the coast of Gibraltar and Malta. The toxic residue produced by these onboard refinery operations was unloaded in August 2006 at the Abidjan port. Scattered around the Ivory Coast economic capital, the residue containing hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans caused the death of 17 people and intoxicated over one hundred thousand others, according to the official figures.

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(Français) Route 2020 : dérapages interdits

3 May 2011

Only in French.

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(Français) Voyage au bout du recyclage

8 Feb 2011

(Français) Voyage au bout du recyclage

Only in French.

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(Français) CITRON, c’est pas clair

9 Dec 2010

(Français) CITRON, c’est pas clair

Only in French.

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Trafigura Captured by Mercaptan and Hydrogen Sulphide

23 Jul 2010

While the Gulf Jash, ex-Probo Koala, is leaving the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico and while the Aristos II, another tanker chartered by Trafigura, is being scrapped on the muddy beaches of Chittagong in Bangladesh, the judgement of the Amsterdam court course is showing a new light on the dark side of traders and marine traffic.

The misinformation by the multinational Trafigura is denied. According to their spokespeople, lawyers and their spin doctors everything which happened in Abidijan is “a myth”. Amsterdam’s judgement confirms that the waste from the Merox desulphurisation onboard the Probo Koala was toxic and dangerous. Four years after the Probo Koala’s stop in The Netherlands, this judgement puts an end to the alleged irresponsibility of Trafigura. In spite of the breaking up of responsibility in place in shipping, each link in the chain, on land and at sea, has been grasped by the justice.

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Trafigura lies

28 Jun 2010

At the witness stand in the Amsterdam courtroom, Trafigura steers the truth as ruthlessly as it steered the Probo Koala. Trafigura’s defence lawyer declared that all the damages caused by refining at sea of Petroleos Mexicanos’ hyper sulphurized naphtha and all the health risks from the desulphurization waste could be only a “myth” spread by ecologists, journalists, and politicians. In his opening defence he stated that “It has not been proven that the events in the Ivory Coast [the spreading of Probo Koala’s waste in Abidjan] cause serious harm to the health of the population, or that they could have done”.

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(Français) Le Probo Koala à la barre

31 May 2010

Only in French.

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(Français) Probo Koala, le livre

19 May 2010

(Français) Probo Koala, le livre

Only in French.

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