“The Love Boat”
According to the latest press news, the Norway (ex-France) Ocean liner will be sent to the ship breakers; instead of Bangladesh it could be sent to Alang beach in India. Before being towed to Port Kedang in Malaysia the 23rd of May 2005 where she is waiting for the final decision from the owner, Genting Corporation (which is the largest financial group of Malaysia), the Norway was docked for 18 months at Bremerhaven in Germany (1). Public opinion, the Green Party, ecologist movements and the German Authorities were not interested in her fate. This endangered masterpiece was guarded in Germany by a Nepalese crew of 45. The Norway is a masterpiece in danger but also a health, a medical and an environmental hazard: one of the engine rooms of the Norway blew up causing a deadly explosion which happened in May 2003, spreading the asbestos from the insulation at least to the third bridge of the ship. The Norway is a double victim of the asbestos pollution : she suffered the “passive” pollution from the fire protection, and heat insulations, but also from an “active” pollution due to the explosion. Despite the foggy image left hanging in illusion by her owner in the direction of a re-conversion, nobody ever really believed in any other destination for the Norway except the ship breakers’; for this temple of asbestos, the Basel Convention, the pre-treatment and the extraction of the other hazardous substances and pollutants such as the PCB’s (Polychlorinated biphenyls) were never addressed.
Another way of looking at the Clémenceau
The “Marine Nationale” French Navy is the first European ship owner to have started an asbestos cleaning process prior to the ship being scrapped. In 2005 in Europe dozens of ships, tankers, liners, chemical cargo boats left Europe to be dismantled in Asia and in Turkey without any prior treatment.
The work which was carried out on the Clémenceau represents the first step towards better working conditions for shipbreaking. At the end of her working life the Clémenceau contained about 1.000 tons of asbestos. Today she still holds about 100 tons. The asbestos was disposed of in officially licensed waste disposal sites.
In Europe today there is no shipbreaking yard or at least a grounding beach available to dismantle large ships. The only work site in Europe which claims to have the capacity and to be equipped is the British Port, Hartlepool. The old US Navy freight ships bound for scrapping towed to this site provoked an uproar from the environmentalists. Notwithstanding these positions, Robin des Bois has since seen a hope for ships at the end of their life. In Amsterdam an experimental work site for the dismantling of medium sized ships is being tested. France has done nothing.
The asbestos pre-cleaning process of the Clémenceau is positive. It is essential not to underestimate its importance, on the contrary, we have to stress that all the European ship owners should do the like wise.
There is nowhere available in France to completely dismantle nor to thoroughly clean the Clémenceau, in the short term.
If there is no solution found to recycle the Clémenceau, it might be sunk in the Mediterranean Sea for military purposes. This is the worst case scenario, which some nostalgics might dream of.
