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).
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).