High Court stays dismantling of ships at Sachana yard:

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has stayed shipbreaking activity at the Sachana in Jamnagar district over the state forest department's objection that the yards do not have environment clearance.

Justice S R Brahmbhatt ordered after the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) failed to satisfactorily reply to certain queries posed by the forest department regarding the location of the yard. The foresters have been maintaining that the shipbreaking activities are taking place not only on forest land, but the newly added three yards fall in the Marine National Park.

The shipbreaking business at Sachana port has been going on since 1977. Till 1984, there were only 6 yards, but thereafter it became15. Recently, it has increased to 18. Addition of these 3 yards alarmed the forest authorities and they ordered all shipbreakers to stop the activity with immediate effect in absence of environment clearance.

As the issue reached to the high court, the GMB supported shipbreakers and disputed forest department's claims about the limit of the marine park. It also argued that the notification declaring the port limit and shipbreaking yards was issued prior to the declaration of forest area. It also contended that the forest department's claims were not even substantiated by any map, but activities in the three new plots were stopped after the forest department's directives.

However, during the proceeding, Justice Brahmbhatt inquired as to why shipbreaking activity was not stopped in all plots. The HC pulled up the GMB officials and took undertaking from the shipbreakers that they would stay all work till further orders.

Following the dispute between two departments of state government, the HC has also issued notice to the chief secretary to look into the matter, and kept further hearing on the issue on June 18.

Source: Times of India. 13 May 2012

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/HC-stays-ship-breaking-activity-at-Sachana-yard/articleshow/13114543.cms

Fundamentals To Look For Regarding Ship Recycling:

Ship Recycling Yard

There are many types of recycling taking place today and in the future everything in theory should be able to be recycled. Ship recycling is one means of recycling that that offers the possibility to reuse parts and equipment of a ship. Steel can be recycled into new steel and both copper and aluminum can also be recycled in a similar way. By doing this we reuse our natural resources.

Although the principles and intentions behind the recycling of ships is sound, many shipyards do not adopt environmental standards. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships in May 2009 provided some standards that should be adopted. Companies wanting to enter the ship recycling industry or companies wanting to utilize the services of a recycling ship company should keep these next few fundamental tips in mind when looking to recycle their ships.

• International regulations state that ship owners need to equip their new and existing ships with inventories of hazardous materials. This also includes shipyards that offer barge builders.
• A step before recycling would be to sell existing ships to be used still.
• A ship should be rigorously checked – via radiation surveys, hazardous material audits and samplings and other measures before it is delivered to a recycling yard for recycling ensuring the safety of the surrounding environment.
• One should also ensure that the chosen facility has professionally trained staff and appropriate safety and environmental protection procedures in place.

These important fundamental regulations will benefit the core outcome of green ship recycling. The intention of recycling the ships is there but it should also be done in a green manner to offer holistic sustainability. 

This approach will help to ensure -

• minimize the environmental impact, 
• reduce the occurrence of oil spills, 
• no discharge of toxic waste, 
• proper dealing with asbestos, 
• no burning of cables, 
• proper refrigerant recovery, 
• recycling of all recyclable materials and 
• environmentally sound disposal of all materials. 
• ensure a safe and secure working environment for ship recycling staff.

Whether you need boat repairs or ship recycling handled or you want to utilize ship recycling at your shipyard, these are fundamentals in the process of the recycling of ships.

Source: Eco Blog. 24 January 2012

http://www.ecoblog.co.za/recycling/ship-recycling/

Update: Groups sue U.S. EPA over Navy ship-sinking policy

Jan. 9 -- The U.S. EPA has failed to adequately regulate the dumping of toxic chemicals into the ocean through the Navy´s ship sinking program, a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges.

The Basel Action Network and Sierra Club, along with Earthjustice, filed the suit, saying the agency did not respond to its citizen petition by the required time limit. The trio petitioned the agency to regulate the Navy´s SINKEX program more stringently in July. The EPA responded that it received the petition, but did not respond by a statutory deadline.

The SINKEX program, short for sink exercise, allows the Navy to use decommissioned ships as live target practice in the open ocean.

"We were hopeful that the EPA would respond thoroughly [to the petition]," said Colby Self, green ship recycling campaign coordinator with BAN. "They opted to not respond at all."

The Navy has a permit and agreement with the EPA to perform the ship-sinking exercises and must complete environmental remediation prior to sinking ships, including PCB decontamination. However, the Navy must remove solid PCB items only if they are readily detachable, according to the lawsuit.

"Ships remediated to this standard may still contain many hundreds of pounds of PCBs in solid form and in concentrations of 50 parts per million or greater," the lawsuit says. "Such ships would not meet the standards otherwise applicable to the export for disposal of these vessels."

Self said when the USS Oriskany was sunk to create an artificial reef in 2006, studies by officials in Florida showed average PCB concentrations of fish caught in the vicinity exceed both the EPA and Florida Health Department maximum levels.

"That ship went through similar remediation of PCBs that ships in the SINKEX do," Self said. "Most of the SINKEX ships are being sunk in deeper waters and they have not really investigated any post-sinking impacts."

He said once PCBs enter an organism, they don´t leave and follow their way up the food chain.

A spokesperson from the EPA released a statement saying it doesn´t comment on pending litigation. Officials from the Navy did not return phone calls.

Since 1996, the Navy has averaged 9 sink exercises a year. Four were sunk in 2010, but none have been sunk in 2011. Most are sunk off the shores of Hawaii, but some have occurred off Florida and southern California, according to the Navy´s website.

The public is not allowed to view the sinking exercises, which must be conducted at least 50 nautical miles from shore and in water at least 6,000 feet deep, according to the Navy´s website. The site says that the program provides numerous benefits, including real-world targets in at-sea, live-fire exercises. It also allows for integration of military units to execute tactical missions.

The environmental groups´ petition does not ask the EPA to end the Navy´s SINKEX program, but to increase the remediation requirements.

"Legally, we are asking the EPA to require additional remediation, so at the very least we´re not polluting our sea with toxic PCBs, but in the end our overall goal is end the of SINKEX program," Self said. "Our preference would be to eliminate the sinking program all together in favor of recycling because we don´t see any value in sinking the vessel."

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Jeremy Carroll at jcarroll@crain.com  

or 313-446-6780.

Source: Waste & Recycling. By Jeremy Carroll | WRN reporter. 9 January 2012

http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/email.html?id=1326123745

Beauharnois wary of pollution from ship dismantling:

MONTREAL — The demolition the old un-seaworthy Kathryn Spirit near Beauharnois does not float everybody's boat.

Town authorities believe the environmental off spin of the effort could endanger future efforts to develop the land.

"It's a new industrial activity, they've never been allowed to have such activities before," said Guillaume Levesque, City Councillor for Beauharnois

The waters are under federation authority but that doesn't mean that the federal minister has been giving the local MP the information she seeks.

"They don't answer or the answers are not really clear. We don't know if it's approved, we don't know what products are in the ship," said Anne Minh-Thu Quach MP Beauharnois-Salaberry.

The NDP says le Groupe St-Pierre has refused to provide them with a list of contaminants that could be found on the old vessel and that could be released when it's dismantled.

CTV Montreal's attempts to get answers were also unsuccessful.

The dismantling of the ship could entail pollutants entering the water supply.

"We still don't know if Environment Canada has received a report from Groupe St Pierre that explains the transformation of the ship," said the MP.

On Thursday the Quebec government responded to concerns and ordered work temporarily stopped as it examines the plans further.

Source: CTV. Ca. 22 December 2011

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111222/mtl_shipstory_111222/20111222/?hub=MontrealHome

Cargo ship stranded on Brittany beach will be scrapped where it lies;

Vessel too badly damaged to risk being towed back to sea

The Maltese-registered cargo ship, TK Bremen, which ran aground off the coast of Brittany late last week in high winds and torrential rain now looks set to be scrapped where it lies.

Cargo ship TK Bremen is stranded on the beach at Kerminihy beach at Erdeven, near Lorient, France, on Friday, Dec. 16. High winds have beached the cargo ship off France's Atlantic coast and some of the 220 tons of fuel in its hold is leaking, threatening a local beach.

Preliminary inspections indicated that the vessel, built in 1982, is too badly damaged to be towed back to sea.

A spokesman for the maritime prefecture said: “We can’t take the risk of towing it, as there is a danger of it breaking up and becoming more difficult to remove.

“Strictly-speaking, the shipowner has the right to repair the vessel where it lies,” he added, “but it appears it struck several rocks and its hull has been perforated in several places.

Stranded ship TK Bremen 

“The most probable outcome is that the ship will be dismantled.”

The 19 crew members on board the TK Bremen were airlifted to safety by helicopter and booms deployed to contain an oil spill threatening a nearby beach.

The task of emptying the stricken ship’s tanks of their 220 tonnes of fuel could be completed by the end of the week.

The maritime prefecture spokesman said dismantling the TK Bremen would be a complex operation in what is an environmentally-protected zone. The ship would be cut up and the pieces loaded onto trucks.

Workers clean the beach after the Maltese-registered cargo ship the TK Bremen ran aground on Kerminihy beach at Erdeven, spilling oil from its engines on the coast of Brittany in western France on Dec.

“The objective is to restore the beach and the dunes by [next year’s] Easter holidays,” he added.

The TK Bremen left the Brittany port of Lorient en route to the UK as the storm was gaining strength, and dropped anchor off the nearby Isle de Groix to wait for an improvement in the weather. However, the ship was unable to maintain its mooring in the storm and began drifting towards the coast.

Source: IFW. By Stuart Todd. 22 December 2011

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/cargo-ship-stranded-on-brittany-beach-will-be-scrapped-where-it-lies/20017927856.htm

Collier renews bid to obtain a Navy ship to sink off Marco for reef:

Fast facts:

The project's local booster, Naples diver and fisherman Mike Taworksi, is moving forward with plans to submerge another ship in the same location. He is looking at two that are docked at a naval yard in Philadephia — the USS Hawes and USS Doyle.

The USS George Philip. Submitted photo

MARCO ISLAND — After plans to bring the USS George Philip to Collier County sank, project leaders propelled ahead with other options.

Last year, Collier County commissioners formally asked the U.S. Navy to put the decommissioned ship on "donation hold" instead of scrapping it. The county planned to use the 455-foot frigate as an artificial reef about 30 miles west of Marco Island.

The Sheriff's Office and local fire departments found a precise spot, 6 miles north of the so-called "R" Tower, for the potential reef. The county even submitted an application to get a federal permit to sink the ship there.

But the Navy decided to scrap the frigate anyway.

"We weren't able to override that, to our dismay," the county's legislative affairs coordinator Debbie Wight told the Daily News last year.

Nevertheless, the project's local booster, Naples diver and fisherman Mike Taworksi, is moving forward with plans to submerge another ship in the same location. He is looking at two that are docked at a naval yard in Philadephia — the USS Hawes and USS Doyle.

"They are two of the USS George Philip's sister ships," Taworksi said. "They're both sitting there on mothballs. It seems likely one of those will be available next year."

Once a ship opens up, if Collier County secures it, Taworski intends to tow it to Tampa for cleaning and stripping before deployment. The whole process is estimated to cost about $120,000. The USS George Philip would have cost about $2 million to tow from Washington.

Taworski is working with county environmental specialist Pamela Keyes to acquire federal and state permits. Since the initial submittal last year, Keyes and Taworski have been working to resolve questions raised by the Navy in the application.

"It's basically little things we were able to work through," Taworski said. "We addressed and responded to all their concerns."

The updated submittal should be in the Navy's hands any day now.

"Part of the artificial reef program is to try to get spots permitted," Keyes said. "So, when materials do become available we have a place to put them."

Keyes added that county staff is open to deploying other objects in the area, such as miscellaneous concrete, an old barge or a ship.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a ship," Keyes said. "It can also be some other material approved by the state."

Keyes said the permitting process could take more than nine months. Once an area is approved, it is open for five to 10 years.

Taworski hopes to get an answer by early 2012 and have the ship submerged in about 18 months. In the meantime, he is working on coming up with money for the project.

"We have a good amount of support and people wanting to give money," Taworski said. "I think because it will bring back eight times a year of what it will cost to reap."

A sunken ship in Collier County would benefit the local economy and the environment, Taworski said.

"It will bring people to dive who will visit restaurants, hotels and dive shops," Taworski said. "It's a real money-maker plus it's a nursery for fish, bringing in more marine life."

Source: Naples News. By JOANNA CHAU. 8 December 2011

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/dec/08/US-navy-collier-county-ship-sink-reef-marco-gulf/

Japan. MOL and Osaka Gas subsidiary sign construction deal for 2 LNG Carriers:

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) today announced that MOL and Osaka Gas International Transport Inc. (OGIT; President: Yuichi Funahashi), subsidiary of Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (President: Hiroshi Ozaki), have agreed on a plan to co-own two new LNG carriers. The agreement also includes a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (MHI) to build the new vessels, which will be co-owned by MOL and OGIT. At the same time, MOL and Osaka Gas concluded a long-term LNG transport contract.

The new vessels are slated for launching in 2014 and 2015. MOL will manage and operate the ships, which will sail under a 20-year contract with Osaka Gas.

The 153,000m3(*1) class carriers will be the first in the world to feature a continuous tank cover for Moss spherical tanks integrated into the ship’s hull. Housing the four spherical LNG storage tanks under a continuous cover reduces weight while maintaining the ship’s overall strength. This will improve fuel efficiency. The adoption of a new steam turbine engine that features a system to capture and use reheating steam also contributes to higher fuel efficiency.

The new vessels’ high fuel efficiency will contribute to reduce CO2 emissions, and the use of natural gas as fuel will reduce sulfur oxide emissions.

They will also adopt a ballast water treatment system (*2), to protect marine ecosystems, and are built according to the Ship Recycle Treaty (*3), which will minimize environmental impact during scrapping and dismantling when their service lives end.

MOL strives to “offer transport solutions with a lower environmental burden” as one of the environmental strategies set out in the midterm management plan, “GEAR UP! MOL”. The company continually takes a proactive stance in providing LNG transport services that perfectly meet customer needs, backed by decades of experience and know-how as one of the world’s largest owners and operators of LNG carriers.

*1. The total capacity of the four LNG tanks is 155,000m3.

*2. Ballast water is seawater pumped on board a ship to stabilize it when no cargo is loaded, and then discharged when the cargo is loaded. The transport of ballast water can disrupt local marine ecosystems because vessels serving international routes move marine organisms from one region to another. An international treaty on ballast water management will establish requirements that ballast water be purified before discharge.

*3. A treaty aimed at reducing the risk of environmental pollution and injuries to workers is currently in development. It will require an inventory of harmful substances contained in the vessel, along with their locations, to ensure safe dismantling and recycling of vessels at the end of their useful lives.

[Outline of newbuilding LNG carrier]

(1) Length: About 288m

(2) Breadth: 48.94m

(3) Draft: 11.55m

(4) LNG storage tank: Stretched Moss-type independent spherical type

(5) Gross tonnage: 138,000 tons

(6) Deadweight capacity: 75,000 tons

(7) Main engine: Reheat type steam turbine

(8) Speed: 19.5 knots

(9) Shipyard: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

(10) Ship Management Company: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

(11) Launch: 2014 (first vessel), 2015 (second vessel)

(12) Names: To be announced

Source: BYM News. 29 October 2011

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=94032

Another shipbreaking yard?

Proceed with caution

It is with more than a little bit of concern that we read the report, which appeared in this newspaper on Monday, about the government's plan to allow setting up of a new ship breaking yard in Barguna district on the banks of the Baleshwar. Perhaps the compulsion of the government to earmark new areas, given the way the industry has expanded, is understandable. And we also understand that the report of the committee set up in this regard is all but ready; however, the downside of the issue should not be overlooked.

There is no doubt that shipbreaking industry, or ship recycling yards as many term it, is linked with our construction industry, and any impediment to its growth is likely to have more than a ripple effect on the country's economy. But what concerns us is the blatantly unchecked way the industry has expanded, based on scrap ships with hazardous chemicals finding their way into the breaking yards. This has had the most severe impact on the ecology and the health of the workers. It has dealt a severe blow to the flora and fauna as well as the environment in the areas around the only shipbreaking yard in the country, Sitakunda.

In this regard the government must take note of the caution of the environmentalists that has been sounded from time to time, and as is being done now in this particular case, too. It is astonishing that in the five-member team that visited the proposed site one does not find the name of any DoE representative or of any environmentalist.

The proposed area is in an equally ecologically sensitive area, if not more, than the Chittagong coast, more so because it is in very close proximity of the Sunderbans. And the marine and bird life will face risk of extinction if such an inherently hazardous industry is allowed to be set up and operate without the standard precautions like insistence on pre-certification of a ship before it enters our territory.

There is need to consider the long term impact of a venture on the ecology of the country against the benefits.

Source: The Daily Star. 11 October 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=205952

Barge Davy Crockett Response: OPERATIONS UPDATE – 30 September 2011

Cleanup of deconstruction debris and contaminants inside the cofferdam resumed September 30 with additional funding expected from the National Pollution Fund Center. Dredging efforts by the 2 dive teams will focus on removing spent underwater cutting rods, metal slag and metal flakes (“scale”) in the areas of the cofferdam where most of the underwater cutting operations and deconstruction efforts took place. This phase of the cleanup effort is expected to last up to 21 days.

Incident duration:	247 days
Injuries	0
Sediment Collected	39 cubic yards
Total Oil water mixture recovered to date	1.6 million gallons*
Total steel removed	4.43 million pounds
Debris & oiled debris removed:	838,434 pounds
Bunker oil recovered:	33,491 gallons
Asbestos removed	4,850 pounds
Samples analyzed to date (e.g. water, oil sediment)	224
Obligated costs to date	$21 million
*This figure represents the amount of oily water mixture that has been recovered directly from the barge Davy Crockett during response operations. An initial unrecovered release of an estimated 70 gallons of oil was documented on January 27, 2011 the day the vessel was discovered to be leaking oil.

Environmental Protection:

All activities involving the destruction and removal of the Davy Crockett were designed to minimize environmental impacts. The impermeable oil and silt barrier inside the metal cofferdam along with sorbent oil collection booms prevented tar balls and oil sheen from discharging into the Columbia River downstream of the work site. Oil containment boom was deployed outside the cofferdam as a preventative measure in case there is a release of oil from the work site. Additional on-water oil recovery resources and oil containment boom were staged nearby as further protection.

Oil, oily water and contaminated water from the vessel’s holds and tanks were collected throughout the cleanup effort and taken off-site for proper disposal. In addition, wash water from cleaning operations and stormwater collected on the Davy Crockett and work barges was put through an on-site water filtration system and then disposed of through the city of Portland’s wastewater treatment system.

Water quality samples upstream, downstream and inside the cofferdam were being collected on a periodic basis in order to evaluate the effectiveness of work activities to minimize water pollution.

Source: Department of Ecology. State of Washington. 30 September 2011

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/DavyCrockett/DavyCrockett.html

Owner of ‘Davy Crockett’ Barge Indicted for Oil Spill on Columbia River:

WASHINGTON — Bret A. Simpson, the owner of Principle Metals, LLC, was indicted by a federal grand jury with two violations of the Clean Water Act. The grand jury charges that Simpson unlawfully discharged oil into the Columbia River near Camas, Wash., between Dec. 3, 2010 and Jan. 28, 2011. The second count charges Simpson with failing to notify authorities of the oil discharge between Dec. 1, 2010 and Jan. 19, 2011. Simpson will be summoned to appear for arraignment on the charges in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Oct. 14, 2011.

According to the indictment, Simpson knew when he purchased the M/V Davy Crockett, to sell the metal for scrap, that there were tanks onboard the vessel containing thousands of gallons of fuel oil and diesel fuel. Simpson assembled a crew to begin dismantling the M/V Davy Crockett in the Columbia River in October 2010, but made no arrangements to remove the fuel oil and diesel fuel from the vessel. On Dec. 1, 2010, a member of the scrapping crew cut into a structural beam of the barge, and the ship began breaking apart and leaking oil. Neither Simpson nor anyone else with Principle Metals LLC notified authorities about the leak. The scrapping operation was halted.

Simpson initially addressed the oil release by ceasing all scrapping operations, procuring a boom to limit the release of oil into the Columbia River, and directing an employee to monitor vessel conditions. The employee monitored vessel conditions for approximately one week following the initial release before being relieved of his employment. Simpson took no further steps to monitor the barge, or the boom, and took no steps to protect the barge from additional structural damage.

On Jan. 19, 2011, the barge was moved and additional oil was released. The U.S. Coast Guard responded, issuing an administrative order for Simpson to remove any remaining visible oil from machinery spaces and deck tubes together with other salvage debris from the vessel. Simpson complied and authorities believed the barge no longer posed an environmental danger. However on Jan. 27, 2011, additional oil was released from the vessel and state and federal authorities immediately responded in an effort to limit environmental damage.

If convicted of the charge of failing to report the release, Simpson could face up to five years of imprisonment and a criminal fine of no more than $250,000. If convicted of the charge of unlawfully discharging oil to the river, Simpson could face up to three years of imprisonment and a criminal fine between $5,000 - $50,000 per day of violation.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James Oesterle and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lieutenant Commander Marianne Gelakoska of the U.S. Coast Guard.

More information on EPA’s criminal enforcement program: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/criminal/index.html

Detailed information on the clean-up is available here: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/DavyCrockett/DavyCrockett.html

Contact Information: Mark MacIntyre, EPA Public Affairs – Seattle, 206-553-7302 macintyre.mark@epa.gov

Source: US EPA. 30 September 2011

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/DBB9E8DA7F4E10678525791B00604F9B

Davy Crockett owner indicted on two felony charges:

The owner of a derelict barge that leaked oil into the Columbia River and triggered a $20 million cleanup has been charged with two felonies, the U.S. Attorney’s Western Washington district announced Thursday.

A federal grand jury indicted Bret A. Simpson of Ellensburg on charges of unlawful discharge and failure to report — both violations of the Clean Water Act. He could face up to five years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines if convicted.

After purchasing the 430-foot barge Davy Crockett in 2010, federal prosecutors allege that Simpson attempted to scrap the vessel without first removing thousands of gallons of oil and fuel he knew was on board. The vessel began to break in early December, leaking oil into the Columbia River, according to the indictment.

Simpson, who owns Principle Metals LLC, halted the scrapping operation, according to the indictment, but never reported the leak to federal authorities. In January, river debris caused the converted World War II Liberty Ship to buckle even more, partially sink and release additional oil and pollutants into the river.

Davy Crockett, shown in an aerial view last March, was surrounded by a cofferdam and dismantled in place

The U.S. Coast Guard then issued an order for Simpson to remove visible oil and salvage equipment from the vessel. He complied, according to the indictment, and authorities believed the Davy Crockett was no longer a pollution risk.

But later that month, the state Department of Ecology traced an oil sheen 14 miles upstream to the barge. That’s when federal authorities stepped in and took over the cleanup.

Officials initially hoped to take the vessel out of the river before dismantling it. But local shipyards balked at accepting the crippled vessel, so authorities decided to take it apart, piece by piece, where it sat on the north bank of the Columbia River near Camas.

Led by the Coast Guard, Washington State Department of Ecology and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, crews went to work building a metal cofferdam around the broken barge to keep pollutants from spreading. Workers pulled almost 4.5 million pounds of steel from the site during the next seven months, extracting the last major piece of the barge in late August.

The cleanup didn’t end then. Crews are still removing contaminated sediment and oil left in the footprint of the large vessel. They’ll also have to remove the cofferdam. That process is still on track to be finished later this fall, Coast Guard Petty Officer Shawn Eggert said Thursday.

Project leaders have characterized the Davy Crockett removal as a complex, labor-intensive operation. Rear Adm. Keith Taylor, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District, welcomed Thursday’s indictment.

“The vessel was abandoned by Mr. Simpson, forcing an extensive emergency response encompassing eight months and costing millions of dollars.” Taylor said in a statement. “Criminal prosecution sends an important message to vessel owners that such disregard for the environment will not be tolerated.”

The operation’s $20 million cost will be covered by the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Coast Guard officials had said previously that the government would likely seek at least some reimbursement from Simpson.

If convicted, Simpson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000 for not reporting the oil release to authorities. The penalty for the illegal discharge is up to three years in prison and a fine of $5,000 to $50,000 per day of the violation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Simpson will be arraigned on Oct. 14 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

Source: The Columbian. By Eric Florip. 29 September 2011

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/sep/29/davy-crockett-owner-indicted-two-felony-charges/

Toxic ship told to stay afar: Environment dept to decide its fate after inspection

Chinese toxic ship MV Asia Union arrived in Chittagong early Monday for dismantling and has been asked to stay off the port as it is imported illegally.

Department of Shipping has not issued any NOC (no objection certificate) in favour of the ship, said Jobair Ahmed, director general of the department.

The vessel has to return because its importer never applied for an NOC prior to importing as required by the law of the land, noted the DG. “The initial steps for importing a scrap vessel are obtaining an NOC, opening a letter of credit and applying for an environmental certificate. As regards Asia Union, nothing has been done to import it legally.”

Formerly known as MV Humber and MV Cast Otter, Asia Union was detected with at least “79 deficiencies since 2010” at different ports. It reportedly possesses hazardous substances including asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyl, toxic paints and chemical residues, which have adverse effects on humans, wildlife and the environment.

As soon as Asia Union reported its arrival at 3:30am day before yesterday, the port authority ordered it out of the port area, which is 5.5 nautical miles from Patenga point, Deputy Conservator of Chittagong port Captain Nazmul Alam told The Daily Star.

“A committee comprised of experts from the Department of Environment [DoE] and other organisations will inspect the ship. It will only be allowed for dismantling here if the inspectors issue an environmental clearance certificate,” he added.

According to Coast Guard sources, the ship is now anchored 5.4 nautical miles off Patenga point.

Sources in the shipbreaking industry said most of the importers do not bother to comply with the law because they somehow manage the custodians of the law.

“The Daily Star in its report on Friday blew the whistle on the toxic ship and our officials don't want to allow dismantling it,” mentioned a top official of Mercantile Marine Department in Chittagong.

Manager (operations) Khairul Wara of the importer Cosco Shipping said they have asked the DoE to inspect the ship and issue an environmental clearance certificate. Cosco Shipping is a subsidiary of the Beijing based China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company.

Khairul claimed the Asia Union is quite safe. He complained that a vested group is trying to influence the DoE.

International maritime watchdog issued warning prior to its arrival in Bangladesh. The DoE office in Chittagong alerted the port authority and the Coast Guard about the hazardous ship and urged them not to allow it entry to the country for dismantling, said Tajminur Rahman, senior assistant director of DoE.

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) in letters to the DoE, Mercantile Marine Department and Chittagong Customs yesterday also warned them about the ship's arrival.

Bela said Indian shipbreakers rejected dismantling the ship for having dangerous substances. It urged the offices concerned not to issue any NOC or environmental clearance for Asia Union.

India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the leading shipbreaking countries in Asia. In the international ship-breaking business Bangladesh is considered a dumping ground for toxic ships due to lack of laws.

The authorities have granted permission to dismantle more than 100 ships in ship-breaking yards in Sitakundu since the High Court on March 7 conditionally relaxed restrictions on purchase of ships for dismantling.

Source: The Daily Star. By Morshed Ali Khan. 21 September 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=203359