SHIP INDUSTRY IGNORES EU LAW AND SADDLES ASIA WITH TOXIC WASTE

17 November 1998

Amsterdam -- Greenpeace and Basel Action Network (BAN) demonstrated today at the entrance of P&O Nedlloyd headquarters in Rotterdam (Netherlands), to protest against the Dutch-British ship owner who has ignored the environmental groups' demands to remove all hazardous substances before exporting ships for demolition to Asia. The activists are demanding an immediate reaction from the company's Chairman van Slobbe.

Greenpeace placed a 70 m2 photomontage in front of P&O Nedlloyd headquarters. The montage represents a scene from an Indian ship-breaking yard projected over the Dutch harbour of Scheveningen and it reads "P&O Nedlloyd burdens Asia with it".

The protest in Rotterdam happens a day after activists from the Greenpeace vessel MV Sirius climbed on the P&O Nedlloyd vessel Encounter Bay in Barcelona harbour (Spain) and hanged a banner reading "Stop Dumping on Asia". A letter with the organisations' demands was also delivered to the captain of the Encounter Bay, who confirmed that the ship is scheduled to be sent to Asia for scrapping within three months. Results of samples taken on board the Encounter Bay confirmed today that the asbestos used under the wall plastering has not been removed by the shipping company yet.

"P&O Nedlloyd decision to ignore our demands and their practice to send ships to Asia for demolition is against European law and raises concerns about their moral and legal integrity," said Claire Tielens of Greenpeace. "For the shipping industry it is cheaper to demolish ships in developing countries than to process the hazardous waste adequately in the country of origin. Europe and all OECD countries must take responsibility over their hazardous wastes and not simply avoid the problem or even make money out of it by dumping it on Asia".

Ships-for-scrap, unless cleaned of hazardous substances, such as asbestos, lead paint, PCBs and heavy metals, are considered `contaminated metal scrap' and therefore subject to the Basel Convention which controls the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The export of hazardous waste from OECD-countries to non-OECD countries is banned under the convention. This export ban has entered into force for all EU countries in January 1998.

Since March this year, P&O Nedlloyd has sold seven ships that had reached the end of their life span to be scrapped in India, Bangladesh and China, including two sister ships of the Encounter Bay. The ships are scrapped in crude working conditions and any useful material is sold for recycling.

BAN has sent a representative from India, Ravi Agarwal, to present the company with details on the real story of workers and environmental contamination in Alang (India), the world's largest scrapping site for ocean going ships and past destination of P&O Nedlloyd vessels. In Alang, it is normal practice to remove the carcinogenic asbestos with bare hands and without any breathing protection. Workers torchcut steel covered with centimetre thick paint layers, without protection against the fumes containing heavy metals. A large part of the toxic substances also end up in the sea and in the agricultural hinterland.

"The workers and the environment in the ship-breaking yards in Asia have to be protected from hazardous waste on board the ships. We demand that companies from all European countries take responsibility for removing all hazardous waste on ships that are ready for scrapping', said Ravi Agarwal.

Greenpeace calls for an independent toxic inventory of all ships owned by EU-based companies that are planned to be sold for scrapping in Asian countries. The organisation will also denounce P&O Nedlloyd practice to the European Commission as clear violation of the export ban, which was ratified by the EU.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Claire Tielens, Greenpeace Netherland, or Ravi Agarwal, BAN, mobile +31 (0)6 53 4786 93
- Andreas Bernstorff, Greenpeace Germany +49 172 4533770
- Greenpeace Press Desk, mobile +31 (0)6 53 66 29 70
Footage from India, Barcelona and Rotterdam action available from Greenpeace Communications, +31 20 52 49 543
Stills available from Greenpeace Communications +31 20 52 49 580
For further information you can also visit the BAN website:http://www.ban.org