Western European companies dump toxic ships on Turkish beach Greenpeace holds EU partly responsible for poisoning
Izmir/Brussels, 14th January, 2002 - Seventeen Greenpeace
activists were arrested this morning after unfolding a banner that
said "Stop Toxic Shipbreaking" on board of a Swiss ship, "Star of
Venice", which they had occupied at a shipbreaking yard in
Aliaga, Turkey. They demanded an end to the poisonous practice
of scrapping ships containing toxic materials, including asbestos,
on Turkish beaches. Before the Turkish police made their arrest
and confiscated one of the inflatable boats, the activists painted a
text that said "No Toxic Ship Trade" on a side of another old ship,
"Best", which originated from Greece.
Greenpeace investigation of the shipyards located close to Izmir
confirms that shipbreaking practice in Turkey is comparable to the
ones in China, India and Bangladesh, resulting in serious toxic
pollution, such as dioxin, endangering the workers and the
environment.
At least 50 % of the ships being scrapped in Turkey come from
Western European operators. Greenpeace called for the
European Union (EU) to clean-up its own act by demanding its
ship industry remove hazardous substances from ships prior to
their export at the same time when it enforces high environmental
and health standards on the EU applicant countries, such as
Turkey.
"It is unacceptable that the shipping industry gets away with
passing hazardous waste to countries like Turkey leaving the
people and the environment exposed to the most dangerous
substances known to mankind. The EU is in a rather
schizophrenic position as it aims to enforce high environmental
standards on EU applicants but allows, at the same time, the
dumping of toxic waste to its own 'backyard'," said Erdem
Vardar, Toxic Waste Trade Campaigner for Greenpeace
Mediterranean.
Up to hundred ships are scrapped every year in Turkey, which
has so far failed to implement its ban on imports of hazardous
waste. Greenpeace is not against scrapping of vessels but
wants to ensure that their export is not used as an excuse to dump
toxic waste. Greenpeace demands that dumping of toxics ships-
for-scrap should be considered as a violation of the international
Basel Ban, which is currently being discussed in a meeting in
Geneva, Switzerland.
"The situation in the shipbreaking yards on the beaches of Turkey
is not better than in India or China," says Marietta Harjono,
Greenpeace's shipbreaking expert on board of Greenpeace's
flagship Rainbow Warrior. "We found materials containing
asbestos at the yard and at the open dumpsite, where villagers
from nearby settlements are searching for valuable materials. The
health of the people and the environment are at grave risk".
Greenpeace today launched a new web site listing of 50 ships
destined to sail to one of the shipbreaking yards in Asia in the near
future. Most of these ships belong to Swiss, Greek, Italian, English
and Scandinavian companies but the list includes operators from
almost all EU countries as well as Australian and US ones.
Greenpeace signalled to the industry that it intends to watch these
vessels and urge their owners to clean them before export.
GreenpeaceReport on Environmental, Health and Safety Conditions in Aliaga
Shipbreaking Yards, Izmir, Turkey (download
, pdf-format)
Remarkable ships Pacific Princess ('Love Boat') is on the Greenpeace list. More remarkable ships...
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Izmir/Brussels, 14th January, 2002 - Seventeen Greenpeace
activists were arrested this morning after unfolding a banner that
said "Stop Toxic Shipbreaking" on board of a Swiss ship, "Star of
Venice", which they had occupied at a shipbreaking yard in
Aliaga, Turkey. They demanded an end to the poisonous practice
of scrapping ships containing toxic materials, including asbestos,
on Turkish beaches. Before the Turkish police made their arrest
and confiscated one of the inflatable boats, the activists painted a
text that said "No Toxic Ship Trade" on a side of another old ship,
"Best", which originated from Greece.
