Frank Allen, the
principal organizer behind Blue Ocean Environmental and its proposal to
dismantle ships at North Tongue Point, will hold an informational session and
take questions from the public from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the old Port of
Astoria offices, 422 Gateway Ave.
Allen’s proposal to
dismantle derelict vessels at North Tongue Point first arose in April, when the
Port Commission briefly broached the idea while under a nondisclosure agreement.
Allen later visited in May to further explain his proposal and has been in the
permitting process since.
Oregon Revised Statute
783.400 defines shipbreaking as the process of dismantling a ship for scrap or
disposal. It is only allowed on a dry dock and in a manner that doesn’t allow
hazardous materials, fouling communities or fouling organisms that are in or on
the ship to enter the waters of Oregon or the ocean shore.
Shipbreaking is a
booming business, taking advantage of the downsizing of older, unprofitable
vessels in the hard-hit shipping industry. The German news outlet Spiegel
Online International reported that more than 1,000 ships were scrapped by the
“iron eaters” in 2012, more than half of them by India. Bangladesh, Pakistan
and China were other major ship recyclers.
Allen said he wants to
start with a small fishing vessel located at Tongue Point. Blue Ocean would
bring in specialists to remove the toxic substances, recycle the metal and ship
it by barge to Seattle. Steel firm Nucor Corporation (www.nucor.com) will take
it for what Allen said would currently be about $19 a ton and reprocess it for
use in the U.S.
There are 300 derelict
vessels in Oregon and 400 in Washington deteriorating and polluting the
environment, said Allen, adding that thousands are being disposed of without
any environmental concern.
Source:
daily astorian. 23 July 2013
http://www.dailyastorian.com/news/local/informational-session-on-proposed-shipbreaking-planned-thursday/article_531181fe-f3bb-11e2-9156-0019bb2963f4.html
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