Decides Not to Dump its Old Tanker on
Asian Beaches
Instead of sending their defunct tanker to the
infamous ship-scrapping beaches of South Asia, Exxon Mobil and wholly owned
subsidiary SeaRiver Maritime, recently completed the sale of the S/R
Wilmington, a 1984 built tanker, to a U.S. ship recycling facility, where
it will be dismantled by a skilled workforce, using advanced technologies to manage
the vessel’s hazardous waste stream. Exxon’s move to recycle the Wilmington in the U.S.
is seen by the toxic trade watchdog organization, Basel Action Network (BAN),
as a move to lead by example, opting for the safe and environmentally
preferable ship recycling methods of U.S.
ship recyclers, while creating green U.S. jobs in a tough economy.
“We applaud this decision and hope this is a
harbinger of many more such corporate choices – to internalize costs and not
use the global commons or developing countries as convenient dumping grounds
for pollution and harmful activities,” said Mr. Colby Self, Green Ship
Recycling Campaign Director for BAN.
This move is in stark contrast to some of Exxon’s
competitors including BP, who often send their retired fleets to the
shipbreaking beaches of South Asia, where nearly a quarter of the exploited
workforce at these yards are child laborers making less than USD$1 per day, and
where little is done to protect their health and safety or that of the
environmentally sensitive tidal flats where these vessels are scrapped.
Because of its age, the Wilmington is suspected of containing a host
of hazardous wastes within its construction. These wastes cannot be managed in
an environmentally sound manner on the shipbreaking beaches of India , Pakistan
and Bangladesh ,
where approximately 90% of the obsolete global shipping fleet is dismantled.
Using advanced technologies at U.S. ship recycling facilities, these wastes,
including PCBs, asbestos, lead, and mercury are contained and managed with
proper care, while approximately 91% of the vessel, including critical metal
resources such as steel, aluminum, and copper, are fully recycled and
recirculated into the marketplace, thereby reducing demand for environmentally
destructive primary metal mining and related carbon emissions.
“BAN is pleased with this outcome after having been
in close contact with Exxon/SeaRiver for months,” said Self. “Building on this
positive result, we now call on Exxon to further lead by example to make a corporate
commitment to Off the Beach environmentally sound management of all end-of-life
vessels owned, operated or leased on behalf of Exxon/SeaRiver.”
The NGO Platform, of which BAN is a part, is
seeking an “Off the Beach Commitment” from all enterprises utilizing shipping.
This Commitment entails agreeing to ensure that the ships used by a company
directly or under contract, do not find their way to the beaches of South Asia at end-of-life.
Source: Basel
Action Network (Media Press Release). 8 November 2011
http://www.ban.org/2011/11/08/exxon-mobil-creates-green-u-s-recycling-jobs/
SR
|
Details of Vessel - SR WILMINGTON - IMO 8109670
Ship Type: Chemical Tanker
Year Built: 1984
Length x Breadth: 193m X 32m
Draught: 24.1 m
Gross tonnage: 27,508 tons
DeadWeight: 48779 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.2 / 8.3 knots
Flag: USA [US]
Call Sign: WBVZ
MMSI: 367493000
IMO: 8109670
Builder: Avondale
Shipyard, New Orleans La, USA
Owner: Exxonmobil - Irving Tx, USA
Source: Marine Traffic. 14 November 2011
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?imo=8109670
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