Alang Bay under the radioactive threat of 3 European ships
In close succession, Alang Bay, Gujarat State, India, and the workers have welcomed three discarded ships belonging to European ship owners and liable to present “hot spots” of radioactivity.
1- The BBC Shanghai, a general cargo ship. She has been carrying nuclear waste, notably between France and Australia (Cf. “BBC Shanghai, a radioactive risk for Asia”, september 12, 2017)
2- The Atlantic Cartier, built in 1985 in Dunkirk, France. She flies the Swedish flag. She is a Ro Ro container ship able in her initial profile to ship 2100 boxes and 600 cars. She was jumboized in 1987. She suffered a major fire in Hamburg, Germany, during the night of May 1st, 2013.
Shipbreaking #48. 284 ships scrapped including 81 blown-up and dumped at sea
Bangladesh has the most deficient ratio – 42 ships – 3 deaths.
Indonesia has the best productivity. 81 illegal fishing boats were demolished in 15 seconds.
Palau is the trendy funeral flag this quarter. 11 ships were deflagged to Palau just prior to be sent for scrapping. 17 of the 45 ships deflagged for their last voyage belonged to European shipowners.
The purchase price offered by shipbreaking yards in the second quarter of 2017 is around 350 US$ per ton in the Indian Sub-continent and around 250 US$ in China and in Turkey. The cumulated tonnage of scrapped ships is 1.6 million tons. The tanker Catherine Knudsen built in 1992 in Nagasaki, Norwegian-owned and Norwegian-flagged, was sold for more than 8 million US$. She was deflagged to Palau for her last voyage.
“Shipbreaking” #45, July 1 – September 30, 2016
“Shipbreaking” #45
Bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition
from July 1 to September 30, 2016
– Update on ship demolition in Europe.
– The historical destinations.
– A supply vessel involved in the fight against the Olympic Bravery oil spill has left to be broken up.
– The hasty scrapping of container ships.
– Update on the Modern Express.
– Update on the disaster on Gadani ship dismantling beach (Pakistan).
SNCF exporting waste to India
SeaFrance, subsidiary of the SNCF (french national railroad company), sold the two car ferries SeaFrance Cezanne and SeaFrance Renoir in the Port of Dunkirk this summer. They were sold to two Panamanian companies who then immediately replaced the French flag with that of Belize.
The Cezanne and Renoir were decommissioned in February and September 2009 respectively. The Renoir, renamed Eastern Light, now sits off the Bay of Alang waiting for authorization to be beached and dismantled.
This tragic and particularly hypocritical outcome was instigated by a French shipowner of which the state owns 100%.
