[CPEO-MEF] Ghost Fleet Articles

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PLEASE NOTE: There are three articles on the 'Ghost Fleet' in this
posting.
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Virginia/England
THE CAITHNESS COURIER
Coast catastrophe fear over US 'Ghost Fleet'
by Ally McGilvray

SECRET plans by America to tow a condemned fleet of contaminated ships
round the coast of Caithness to an English port have triggered fears of
an environmental catastrophe. Dubbed the "Ghost Fleet", the 94 derelict
and leaking US ships are believed to be packed with toxic chemicals,
asbestos and oil. It is proposed that the first convoy of 13 ships will
leave their Virginia base this summer to cross the Atlantic to be
dismantled at a wrecking yard on Teesside. The ships will have to be
towed around the Caithness coast through the narrow Pentland Firth and
down the east coast of Scotland to get there.

The warships, tankers, bulk carriers and tank transporters - a number of
which date from World War Two - were part of the National Defence
Reserve Fleet but lay unused and rusting on the James River for years.
The hulks, which were banned from leaving US waters by the country's
environmental protection agency until last month, have been described as
"ticking time bombs" by American transport officials. Jamie Stone, MSP
for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, yesterday criticised the
plans which were exposed in a Sunday newspaper. The Liberal Democrat
says he will raise the issue in the Scottish Parliament at the earliest
opportunity.

He fears it could lead to another Ascania - the Cypriot-registered
tanker, which was carrying a highly volatile cargo of chemicals, sparked
a full-scale emergency in March 1999 when it went on fire off the
Caithness coastline.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.caithness-courier.co.uk/news.asp?storyvar=3810


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SUNDAY MAIL
The Ghost Fleet
94 hulks leaking chemicals to be towed round Scotland
Jamie Macaskill Exclusive

SECRET plans by America to tow a condemned fleet of contaminated ships
around the coast of Scotland have triggered fears of an environmental
catastrophe.

Dubbed the Ghost Fleet, the 94 derelict and leaking US ships are  packed
with toxic chemicals, asbestos and oil.

It's proposed the first convoy of 13 ships will leave their Virginia
base this summer to cross the Atlantic to be dismantled in a wrecking
yard on Teesside.

To get there, the leaking hulks will be towed through the narrow
Pentland Firth between the mainland and Orkney and down Scotland's
east coast.

Environmental campaigners yesterday condemned the plan.

Greenpeace's international toxic and demolition expert Frank Petersen
said: "America is using Britain as a dumping ground. We have a huge
concern it could be the start of a nightmare.

To view this article, copy and paste the following URL into your
browser:
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/newsfeeds/page.cfm?objectid=13094828&method=full&siteid=86024

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THE EVENING GAZETTE
'Ghost ships' deal close
Matheus Sanchez
Jun 26 2003

A Teesside firm looks set to sign the world's biggest recycling contract
which will bring 200 jobs to the area, the Gazette can reveal.

Able UK could soon land a "phenomenal" deal to dismantle 13 US former
naval ships from a massive obsolete fleet moored in the US, known as the
Ghost Fleet.

The US Maritime Administration said the contract with the
Billingham-based firm, their preferred option, could be signed by the
end of the week.

And if successful it could mean an indefinite supply of work from the
ever-growing pool of obsolete ships moored in US waters.

The 13 ships would be towed across the Atlantic and round the north
coast of Scotland to be dismantled at Able UK's yard in Graythorpe,
Hartlepool.

Although no figure has been confirmed, the US Government is known in the
past to have paid more than £1m per ship to be scrapped.

To view this article, copy and paste the following URL into your
browser:
http://icteesside.icnetwork.co.uk/0400business/0004tod/content_objectid=13112895_method=full_siteid=50080_headline=--Ghost-ships--deal-close-name_page.html

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