[CPEO-MEF] SHIPBREAKING: Toxic U.S. ships sent to Indian beaches for "breaking"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Basel Action Network
June 22, 2012

U.S. Ship Disposal Policy Called "Shameful' following Export of  
'Exxon Valdez' and 'Delaware Trader' to Indian Beaches

Obama Administration Ignores U.S. Law, Poisons Asian Workers, While  
Exporting Good U.S. Jobs

Seattle, WA – A U.S. flagged tanker called the "DELAWARE TRADER" was  
cleared by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) for scrapping on  
the notorious shipbreaking beach of Alang, India. It is expected to  
arrive in India within the next days. The authorization and export of  
the toxic ship comes on the heels of the recent Indian Supreme Court  
ruling which barred the U.S. built EXXON VALDEZ (now called ORIENTAL  
NICETY) from landing at Indian shipbreaking beaches due to suspected  
hazardous materials, such as asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls  
(PCBs), used in the ship's construction. The EXXON VALDEZ is thought  
to be currently anchored off Mumbai, India. India's top court,  
international law and U.S. law will be tested once again when the  
DELAWARE TRADER soon arrives in India for breaking.

Shipbreaking at Alang takes place under extremely dangerous and  
polluting conditions where workers labor on tidal sands to cut ships  
up by hand, exposing themselves to the risks of toxic chemicals,  
fires, explosions and falling steel plates. Pollutants are allowed to  
flow unimpeded into the marine environment. Meanwhile U.S.-based ship  
recyclers as well as environmental organizations such as the Basel  
Action Network, are wondering why the U.S. is allowing what is very  
likely to be illegal exports instead of recycling the ships at home  
and providing good American jobs.

...

For the entire release, see
https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1400891.11069349535/ 
rid:7ec8fe2683c61dda4ff316bf2095f558

For more information, see http://www.ban.org/

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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