Posts Tagged "Pays-Bas"

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).

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.

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.

The European Union has entered naval shipbreaking business. The discarded ships will begin to be dismantled and supply the steel industry with millions of tons of recyclable scrap metal. Today, France remains removed from this development, and it is the Netherlands that leads the way.

The Sandrien, a vessel of Bolivian origin, is being dismantled in the naval repair yard in Amsterdam; following the Sandrien’s deconstruction, the same yard will also scrap the Otapan (167 m long). Seized by the Minister of the Environment, the Dutch Tribunal considers a vessel destined for scrapping as waste. Consequently, the Sandrien could not rejoin Asian yards. If it wishes, the German government could do the same with the ex-France liner.

The European Union has entered naval shipbreaking business. The discarded ships will begin to be dismantled and supply the steel industry with millions of tons of recyclable scrap metal. Today, France remains removed from this development, and it is the Netherlands that leads the way.

The Sandrien, a vessel of Bolivian origin, is being dismantled in the naval repair yard in Amsterdam; following the Sandrien’s deconstruction, the same yard will also scrap the Otapan (167 m long). Seized by the Minister of the Environment, the Dutch Tribunal considers a vessel destined for scrapping as waste. Consequently, the Sandrien could not rejoin Asian yards. If it wishes, the German government could do the same with the ex-France liner.