Archived press release

Toxic ghost ships to set sail within days

10 September 2003

The first two ships from the toxic `ghost fleet' could set sail for the UK by as early as Friday after US authorities gave permission for the boats to leave US coastal waters. Permission has been granted even though Hartlepool District Council has still not given permission for the boats to come to Teesside for dismantling and disposal, and the UK coastguard has yet to allow the boats to enter British waters. This latest development has been condemned by Friends of the Earth.

The UK Environment Agency has received pre-notification that two of the ships, Caloosahatchee and Canisteo, could leave within days.

The ships are part of a fleet of dilapidated US ships, heavily polluted with asbestos, oil and PCBs, that British company, Able (UK), wants to bring to Teesside for scrapping and disposal. But the plan has provoked a storm of protest on both sides of the Atlantic. There are fears that allowing the ships to embark on a 4,500 mile journey may lead to an environmental disaster, and that they should be disposed of in the US, not Teesside.

Hartlepool District Council has yet to give permission for the boats to be brought to be broken down and disposed off on Teesside. Officials are expected to meet tomorrow to decide whether an Environmental Impact Assessment is required before considering the application.

English Nature has told Hartlepool council that an EIA is needed before the construction of a dry dock to take the ships, but Friends of the Earth's legal advisor has written to the council saying that it is also legally obliged to insist on a full and comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), including the towing, storing and scrapping of the boats.

A number of organisations and private individuals are considering legal action if the project is allowed to go-ahead without a full environmental impact assessment. Public interest lawyers are acting for a number of local residents who may be affected by this project and are exploring a number of legal avenues to try and stop it.

And in the United States, the Sierra Club and the Basel Action Network (an activist group working to halt international toxic waste trade), have indicated their intent to seek judicial relief in order to prevent the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) from endangering the environment by permitting the towing the "ghost fleet" in the James River in Virginia, and across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom [1].

Friends of the Earth's campaigns director Mike Childs said:

"It's astonishing that US authorities have given permission for these ships to leave the States despite the fact that there is no dry dock in the UK for them to come to. Planning permission to build a dock has not yet been granted. Hartlepool District Council must insist on a full environmental impact assessment before permission is given and the UK coastguard must make it clear that these ships will not be allowed into British waters until the assessment is completed. Further studies are also needed to assess the potential environmental and economic impacts should the ships break up during transit and on their journey around the UK coast. "

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust