Environmental Minister of Turkey Aytekin in full support of Greenpeace demands
Istanbul, 1 february 2002 - After being informed by Greenpeace about the health and environmental problems at the Aliaga shipbreaking beach near Izmir, the Turkish Minister of the Environment Aytekin said that it is not acceptable that Turkey is being used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste. He agreed to the improvement of health and environmental standards at the Turkish shipbreaking yard.
He also said that shipping companies that want to export ships for scrap
into Turkey in the future should hand over an inventory of hazardous materials
on board. The minister concluded by saying that ships for scrap should be
made free of hazardous materials before coming to Turkey. This complies
with the national import ban on hazardous waste and is a promising start
towards a toxic-free shipbreaking industry in Turkey.
On the 14th of January, seventeen Greenpeace activists were arrested after unfolding a banner that said "Stop Toxic Ship Trade" on board of a Swiss-owned ship, "Star of Venice", which they had occupied at the shipbreaking yard in Aliaga, Turkey. They demanded an end to the trade of ships containing toxic materials, including asbestos, to Turkish beaches.
Remarkable ships Pacific Princess ('Love Boat') is on the Greenpeace list. More remarkable ships...
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