Greenpeace letter to Chandris - May 24 2002

Dear Ms, Mr,

We have just learned that your company has sold the Mariprima to Bangladeshi breakers for scrap. On the 16th of January Greenpeace has sent you a letter asking to take full responsibility for the ships that you operate once they are taken out of service. The current practice of sending end of life vessels with hazardous substances to Asia is not acceptable. At www.greenpeaceweb.org/shipbreak you can find information on the situation at the Asian shipbreaking yards. We have urged you to sign a declaration committing your company to find a solution to the dumping of toxic substances on Asian beaches

In the declaration we have asked you to:

1. Ensure that all of your ships will have an inventory of all hazardous materials on board;
2. Make sure to decontaminate any of your ships-for-scrap prior to sending them to a non-OECD country;
3. Deliver ships to breaking yards anywhere in the world in a gasfree condition, with tanks cleaned and certified fit for hot work and entry standards;
4. Ensure that any of your ships for scrap will undergo proper de-ballasting before breaking of the ship;
5. Make your ships in operation progressively cleaner, by systematically replacing hazardous substances during maintenance, repair, refitting and rebuilding programmes for clean and safe alternatives, and:
6. Ensure that any new ships ordered by you will be built within the principles of environmental design to ensure the replacement of hazardous materials by safer alternatives as well as easy-to-dismantle standards.

And finally, that your company will at anytime disclose information regarding the fate of your ships (shipbreaking yard, broker etc.) and make sure that your ships will not be sold to companies that do not share the intention of this declaration.

We did not receive answer from your company. Therefore we have to assume that you have not taken the necessary steps for the Mariprima to prevent damage to the environment and the workers in Asia.

Our immediate demands are:

• To decontaminate the tanker from hazardous materials before export to Bangladesh (note: the export of a ship with hazardous materials to Bangladesh is a violation of the Basel Convention and the Basel Ban.)
• To make an inventory of any remaining hazardous materials on board;
• To ensure that the Mariprima will be delivered in a gas-free condition, with tanks cleaned and certified fit for hot works and entry standards.

The delivery of a tanker for scrap anywhere in the world in a gas free state should be regarded as a matter of absolute urgency in order to save lives. It was only a few months ago (January 3) that three workers have died as a result of an explosion during the cutting of a vessel at a breaking yard near Chittagong, Bangladesh.

"Ezahar Miah, 25, died instantly when his torch ignited gases inside the 15,000 DWT tanker NT Yahia at the Brothers Associates ship breaking yard at Sitakunda. Two other cutters later succumbed to injuries at a Chittagong hospital. Hundreds of other workers were working on the vessel at the time of the explosion, but no further injuries are reported." (source Fairplay).

Today again Greenpeace encourage you to take part in the solution. We urge you to take the necessary measures before the Mariprima will be sent to Bangladesh and we call upon you to sign the declaration.

Yours sincerely,

E.J. Matser
Head of Toxics Team