[CPEO-MEF] 'Ghost ships' hit by dispute

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

England
EVENING GAZETTE
'Ghost ships' hit by dispute
Matthew Pardo, Evening Gazette
Oct 7 2003

Rusting 'ghost ships' being towed to Teesside will have to stay in the
water when their journey is over, after a planning row erupted again.

Last night the ships started their trip to Teesside, where they will be
scrapped and recycled.

But because it is now thought that when they arrive they will have to
remain in a wet dock - whatever their condition.

That's because Hartlepool Council has ruled today that planning
permission scrapper Able UK was relying on to build a dry dock for the
ships is not valid.

Stuart Green, head of planning and economic development at Hartlepool
Council: "Our view is that planning permission for a rock filled bund,
granted in 1997, has lapsed.

"We have invited Able UK to submit a new planning application for a bund
or a dam to create a dry dock.

"The amount of time we would take to consider the application would
depend on the responses and consultations with other agencies involved.

"We could be talking about a period of several weeks, possibly running
to months before a decision is taken."

As the first two 'ghost ships' set sail yesterday, and two more ships
are expected to leave for Able's Graythorp yard later this week, it
would mean all four vessels would have to stay in the company's wet dock
until the dry dock planning row was resolved.

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