Wastes returning to Europe
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| In the aftermath of the spread of toxic wastes in the economic capital of the Ivory Coast, Robin des Bois demanded their repatriation and treatment in Europe. Robin des Bois’s reaction was founded on the sanitary problems, mortality, panic, and rumors that, beginning on August 20, 2006, struck and distraught the populations. The insufficiency of available technical resources in the area and the goal expressed by Ivory Coast authorities to construct a waste bunker served to support the conviction that is was vital to clear Ivorian soil of the wastes discharged from the Probo Koala as quickly as possible.
Today, the MN Toucan, the first ship bringing back the wastes and the sediments with which they have been mixed and diluted, is arriving in the Norman port of Le Havre. Particular care was given to the choice of ship; it was without question that it register under the flag of convenience. The same demand will be made for following ships. Robin des Bois will now strive, in liaison with services of the State, the Ministry of Ecology, and other associations, to facilitate the fluidity and precision of transit and elimination phases of the 6,000 tons of material cleaned in Abidjan. It will be particularly seen to that the transportation between Le Havre and the south of Lyon is made regularly and by means of railway transport. In view of the fact that the dominant nature of the material to be treated results from its sulfur content, Robin des Bois wishes in addition that measurements of sulfur compounds released from Salaise’s furnace smokestacks will be made available to any associations that wish it, during the elimination phases. Finally, Robin des Bois notes that no other country member of the European Union has as yet mentioned the possibility of storing and treating these wastes, not even the Netherlands and Estonia who are even involved in responsibility, as possibly the United Kingdom, Spain, and Greece. |
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Business Continues for the Probo Koala
You have been well-informed of it (see invitation for press conference held September 25, 2006 in Abidjan): the Probo Koala was sold by the Greek ship owner Prime Marine Management at the same time as other OBO carriers (transporters of mineral compounds, bulk, petroleum).
The sales contract of 6 OBO was assessed at 136 million US$. It is deplorable that the profit from the sale of the Probo Koala will not be given to the Côte d’Ivoire for the purpose of partially contributing to reparations for damages inflicted on the Abidjan population and to costs of cleaning waste dumped at dozens of sites around and within the heart of the city of the Côte d’Ivoire. Sold along with the Probo Koala were the Probo Bear, Probo Elk, Probo Emu, and Probo Panda (which has nothing to do with the WWF) sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, while the Probo Koala sails under Panamanian flag.
Ivory Coast Waste: Return to Sender
Subject : Ivory Coast/Toxic wastes
The toxic wastes spread on the Ivory Coast August 19-20, 2006 are in the course of recovery, packaging, and gathering, as observed by Robin des Bois in Abidjan. Given that these wastes were dumped over one month ago, the dredging of deposits will generate a final quantity greater than the initial quantity, approximately 500 tons. It is essential, in order to allay the inquietude of the Abidjan populations, that the collection of waste leave the Ivory Coast and return to their point of departure, namely Europe (see press release “Call for a waste charter” from September 12, 2006). There is neither in the Netherlands nor in Estonia a facility capable of thermal treatment elimination of these wastes, declared as ship-generated wastes which should have been discharged in ports of Amsterdam or Paldiski. These facilities are available in various European countries such as Finland, Germany, Belgium, and France. Whatever treatment site or sites are chosen after confirmation of different conflicting analyses, a public information session must be organized to avoid the phenomenon of rejection that was seen in 1988 when waste fraudulently stored in Nigeria were returned to Europe aboard the Karin B (see Robin des Bois’s press dossier from the Abidjan conference, “The first wave and the ebbtide” or the article about the Karin B in la Flèche et le Marin).
Notice #4: Toxic wastes in the Ivory Coast and fires of repetition in France
Mr. Claude Dauphin, held in the Ivory Coast under investigation of toxic discharges from the Probo Koala, is a leader of Trafigura (see preceding notice). He is known as a follower of Marc Rich (see article “The Rich Boys” in Business Week’s July 18, 2005 edition and the Robin des Bois’s press release “My pollueur is Rich” from January 29, 2003). He began his international career in London as a broker of oil products. Under his name, he developed the GDE—Guy Dauphin Environment—a familial society for the recycling of metals and batteries. The society’s historic site is based near Caen, Normandy, and its parent company is the Ecore group.
Notice #3: French businessmen stuck in Abidjan’s toxic mixture
Claude Dauphin, principal shareholder of Guy Dauphin Environment, which is known in France and abroad as a booming development in the field of recycling but poorly controlled in regards to environmental issues, would also be one of the leaders of the Trafigura holding company. Trafigura is the holding company under Dutch law which chartered the Probo Koala (Panamanian flag, Greek shipowner), the ship responsible for the pollution of the Ivory Coast. Claude Dauphin was, in addition, the creator of a London society for the brokerage of oil products and wastes, Ecore, today owned by Trafigura. Once again it is demonstrated that recycling procedures and dealing of oil waste in this specific case are absolutely not controlled by the European states.
Notice #2: Ivory Coast Pollution
Subject : Ivory Coast/Toxic wastes
The belated and muddled accounts of multinational Trafigura, broker of oil products whose parent company is based in the Netherlands, intend to conceal the terrible truth. Trafigura delivered the non complying waste to the operator Amsterdam Port Services (APS), refused to pay the treatment surcharge, and did not respect the European Parliament and Counsel’s directive on port facilities receiving ship-generated wastes and cargo residues. With the complicity of environmental authorities at the Amsterdam port, the ship unloaded and reloaded its wastes, and continued to the Estonian port of Paldiski, where the residues were still not discharged. The logistics coordinator from Trafigura selected the Abidjan port as the final receptacle of these wastes. Certainly Abidjan’s financial conditions for reception are markedly more advantageous than those of Amsterdam, but elimination conditions there are also distinctly inferior, especially when cleaning and cargo residues contain thiol, hydrogen sulfide, and sodium hydroxide.
Call for a waste charter
We hope that so far as it is technically possible and to avoid all further sanitary problems and concerns amongst the Abidjan populations, the wastes spread over more than 10 sites around the capital of the Ivory Coast one month ago will be aggregated, condensed, packaged, and sent to Europe for treatment. It is simply disgraceful that no initiative to this effect has yet been formulated or undertaken by ship owners, charterers, or, in their absence, European political authorities. Beyond the controversy of the potential complicities in the Ivory Coast, it is evident that the volition and the act of spreading these toxic wastes in a country in which the elimination procedures are nearly nonexistent constitute a crime.
