Denmark Asks India to Return Illegal Toxic Ship
Posted: 27 April 2005
A toxic ship that escaped the clutches of the Danish government is now the subject of a rare call for co-operation from the environment ministry of Denmark to the MoEF in India. On 15 April, 2005, the Danish environmental minister, Connie Hedegaard, sent a fax letter to her counterpart, the Indian environment minister Mr. A. Raja, warning him that a toxic ship-for-scrap carrying carcinogenic asbestos insulation, is expected to arrive in India this week. The ferry ship Kong Frederik IX (now known as Frederik) left Denmark on March 16, 2005, and is headed to Alang for breaking. The fugitive ship is likely to arrive in India by 20 April, 2005.
Coalition of Labor and Environmental groups Call on India to Comply at Once
The owners of the ferry ship Kong Frederik IX may have thought they'd made good their escape from Danish authorities; they had been ordered to remain in Denmark till they had decontaminated the ship but they slipped out of a Danish port, hastily changed the ship's flag, changed its name to 'Frederik', and set sail for the ship-breaking yards of Alang. But they hadn't reckoned on the persistence of the Danish environment minister. In a swift response, Minister Connie Hedegaard shot off a fax communiqué to her Indian counterpart Mr. A. Raja, calling on India to send the ship right back to Denmark so that it may be stripped of hazardous substances. (2) As the fax letter points out, the Frederik is considered illegal traffic under the Basel Convention and must be returned to Denmark at once.
In her letter, Ms. Hedegaard stated: "I believe our interests are joint --and I call on you to cooperate in this case by denying the ship to be dismantled in India - and refer the ship to be returned to Denmark in order to be stripped of the hazardous waste. By this we can send a strong signal that neither India nor Denmark will accept export of environmental problems that could be solved locally, and that we -- as governments will not accept this kind of foul play which results in lasting damage to the environment.
"Under the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and the Basel Ban Amendment decision, both fully implemented by the European Union, OECD countries like Denmark are prohibited from exporting hazardous wastes (4) to non-OECD nations. Interestingly, Ms. Hedegaard's letter also reminds Indian authorities of the Indian Supreme Court order prohibiting the import of hazardous wastes, and requiring India to participate in international negotiations with a clear mandate for the decontamination of ships of all hazardous substances prior to export.
"In the case of ships-for-scrap, this order has only been observed in the breach," said Ramapati Kumar, Toxics Campaigner Greenpeace India, speaking for a large coalition of environmental and trade union groups, "Instead of enforcing full decontamination, the Indian Government has shown remarkable leniency towards ship-breakers who violate the law by importing ships containing hundreds of tons of toxic substances including asbestos and chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls.The Basel Convention rules are clear - they demand that India respect Denmark's request to declare the ship illegal traffic and refuse to allow it to be dumped in India." (3)
"The international shipping industry has to take onus of this kind of trade. They have continuously scuttled initiatives geared to have them take ownership of the problem, which results in dumping on countries like India and impacts the lives of poor workers and the environment. The lack of action by the Indian Government abets this injustice, and the shipbreakers and the shipowners who make substantial economic gains jointly sacrifice the interest of the most affected," says Gopal Krishna of Ban Asbestos Network, India.
The impending arrival of the Frederik brings back memories of the Clemenceau - a French naval ship that was also headed to India without adequate decontamination. Surprisingly, the Indian Government and a Supreme Court-appointed committee indicated that they may allow the import of the Clemenceau, despite the knowledge that it carried undisclosed quantities of asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls. Although the Indian Government demonstrated its willingness to accept this toxic waste, the ship is currently held up in France due to an ongoing lawsuit filed by French environmental activists. "France should be ashamed of its attempts to dump its toxic wastes on India, and should learn from Denmark about its environmental responsibilities," said Annie Thebaud-Mony of Basel Action Network, France.
Activists around the world intend to work to ensure that the Basel Convention is honoured and exports of ships for scrap take place to developing countries only after full prior decontamination.
Posted by Editor Offshore Arabia Magazine
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