In a letter mailed to the
Brussels-based Environment attachés of all 27 Member States, environmental
groups have denounced a proposal by the European Commission on ship recycling
to legalize the export of hazardous end-of-life ships to developing countries.
This practice has been forbidden in Europe since January of 1997. By
unilaterally seeking to exempt most ships from the EU Waste Shipment
regulation, the Commission would break with the EU law that implements the
international treaty known as the Basel Convention and its Amendment which bans
hazardous waste exports to the world's poorest countries, says NGO Shipbreaking
Platform.
"The proposal is both profoundly
immoral and illegal," said Roberto Ferrigno of the NGO Shipbreaking
Platform. "And yet it does not appear that the Commission understands the
gravity of this action. This proposal will render European governments
powerless in preventing exports of asbestos and PCB laden ships from being sent
to developing countries and putting vulnerable workers at risk in contravention
of our own treaty obligations. We are calling on the EU, which has the capacity
to recycle ships safely and cleanly, to respect its laws and create good
shipyard jobs at home."
No adequate ship
recycling capacity?
The European Environment Council will
debate the Commission's proposal on ship recycling on the 25th of October. The
Commission has justified their proposal by claiming that the EU and developed
countries lack adequate ship recycling capacity and that, in any case, there is
no way to prevent ships from simply reflagging their ships to circumvent
national laws. Environmental groups assert that the capacity studies of the
Commission are flawed and further, that the Commission has failed to look into
ship-owner/producer responsibility schemes which would create funds for proper,
safe and environmentally friendly recycling operations in Europe - saving both
jobs and the environment.
Because the Basel Convention allows no
exceptions or reservations to its rules, and that Convention lists ships as
covered hazardous wastes, the EU proposal has legal experts shaking their
heads. "The Commission Proposal constitutes a unilateral departure from
the provisions of the Basel Convention that is not allowed by the
Convention," said Prof. Dr. Ludwig Kraemer, noted European Community legal
expert. "The adoption of the proposal by the European Parliament and the
Council would constitute a breach of the EU obligations under the Basel
Convention and would therefore be illegal."
70 percent run ashore on
tidal beaches
Each year, approximately 800 ocean
ships reach the end of their services and are broken down to recover primarily
steel. Yet, only a fraction is handled in a safe, sustainable manner. According
to NGO Shipbreaking Platform, about 70 percent of all ships are simply run
ashore on tidal beaches in developing countries such as Bangladesh, India and
Pakistan, often ignoring the Basel Convention obligations, where unscrupulous
companies exploit minimal enforcement of environmental and safety rules to
maximize profits.
The European Commission estimates that
40,000 to 1,3 million tonnes of toxic substances onboard vessels (including
asbestos, PCBs, and heavy metals) are exported each year to South Asia from the
EU alone. In Bangladesh, children under 15 years of age count for 20 percent of
the workforce. In 2011, more than 55 workers were reported killed in accidents
in shipbreaking operations in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Last Saturday,
five workers were killed in a fire that broke on a ship beached in Alang,
India.
Source:
NGO Shipbreaking Platform. 12 October 2012
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/News.aspx?ElementId=8ce7f86b-0cea-44bc-aa64-ac9869373d70
No comments:
Post a Comment