SHIP DEMOLITION

Breaking at sea :

• the Forsaken ones
• the Sunken ones
• from cattle traffic to Human trafficking
• India : 200 ship scrapping workers on an asbestos-contaminated aircraft carrier

The end of :

Only in French.

Only in French.

Simon, from North Lincolnshire, UK, has identified the mystery-ship Hassan 1 beached for demolition in Pakistan (Cf Ship-breaking # 37, p 27): she is actually the ex-Chariot Bulker, a bulk carrier built in 1977 in Japan.

Hassan 1 is no longer a mystery. She is no stranger either. In 1999, her name was Maria K. On December 10th, 1999, she left the port of Saint-Nazaire (France) bound for England. She came back to Saint-Nazaire the day after due to bad weather conditions and was anchored there. She then dragged her anchor, was not loaded and represented a hazard and a pollution risk in case she hit the sea bottom. A pilot boat was supporting her, a harbor tug from the port of Saint-Nazaire, the Saint-Denis, was ready to take action.

July / August / September 2014

A wondrous World Tour

–       Pakistan pulls ahead of the pack (p 9).

–       6 genetically modified ships depart for the scrapyard (p 3).

–       8 giant Russian predators leave the fleet (p 11).

–       A rotten egg for the US Navy: the dismantling of the USS Saratoga delayed by a brood of Peregrine falcons (p 7).

–       Radioactive waste scrapped in the United Kingdom (p 61).

–       Mexican tanker towed over 22,000 km to be broken up (p 62).

Quarterly bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition

From April 1st to June 30th 2014.

A huge market. 263 ships, 2 million tons of metal, 1 billion US$.

Of the 74 vessels whose shipowner is based in the European Union or in an EFTA state (European Free Trade Association) only 5 have been dismantled in Europe. Iceland scraps ships any which way.

Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis, Tuvalu, Comoros, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Moldova, Togo are the preferred flags chosen for the last voyage.

Towing operations of ships towards ship-breaking yards are a critical phase. The Lyubov Orlova and Canada are attributed a black mark whereas the Costa Concordia deserves a gold star.

Subject : towage of the Costa Concordia

Robin des Bois welcomes the achievement of operation Concordia. The NGO believes that is possible to tow the wreck with minimal risks. The final destination which was ultimately decided by the Prime Minister of Italy Mr. Matteo Renzi reinforces Robin des Bois’ positive assessment. Genoa was once an important ship-breaking yard for vessels at the end of their life and was, amongst all the options evoked over the last year, the most logical option with the best safeguards for a positive end to the demolition of the Concordia.

bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition

The genealogical investigation of Robin des Bois and the comparison of photos of the Zanoobia and the Cosette show that it is very well the same ship. The Zanoobia is some sort of funder of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. France and Martinique have inherited a historic wreck. The French authorities hesitate between the scuttling and the dumping at sea or demolition. The first option is currently being used in the French overseas territories; the last would be an innovation.

The 9th commitment of the “Grenelle de la Mer” (Seas Summit, environmental roundtables about the sea and the coastline in France in 2009) regarding the development of a local end-of-life ship scrapping and recycling process struggles to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Yet it was specified that this commitment, which is supported by the current Ministry of Transport, covered overseas territories. According to converging information that is still confidential, the prefect of Martinique is about to order the immersion of Cosette IMO 6617025, a 99-meter long roll-on roll-off cargo ship abandoned 4 years ago at Fort-de-France. The same drastic operation, which is illegal with regard to the international commitments of France, could also happen to Lady Grace II, which is a 48-meter long coaster, unclaimed, that has also remained in Fort-de-France since October 2008, whereas her location favors, or rather requires, her destruction in situ.

Only in French.