NGO Shipbreaking Platform
has urged the German authorities to hold Italy's Grimaldi Group subsidiary
Atlantic Container Line (ACL) accountable for allegedly violating European
waste laws.
The Platform has accused ACL
of deliberately selling two of its G3 vessels, including Swedish-flagged
Atlantic Cartier and Atlantic Conveyor, for scrapping in South Asian yards.
The organisation has also
blamed ACL for illegally exporting toxic waste to South Asia.
Shipbreaking Platform said
in a statement: “The German competent authorities were alerted about the
imminent illegal export of the ships from the port of Hamburg and prompted to
take action to stop the vessels from departing.
“Despite the warnings and
the clear signs that the ships were destined for scrap, the authorities did not
halt the ships.”
In addition, the Platform
alleged that German port authorities had ignored the issue by stating that
there was no evidence for the arrest of the vessels, despite the fact that
logos of both the ships had been painted over before the final voyage.
The organisation has also
blamed ACL for not disclosing truth about the vessels to the Canadian and UK
authorities, despite the ships sailing through these countries before arriving
in Hamburg, Germany, for their last EU port call.
The authorities also knew
that the ships were intended for scrapping but did not halt the vessels, noted the
Platform.
Shipbreaking Platform
further added: “The Atlantic Cartier arrived in Alang, India, on 20 September
and the Atlantic Conveyor hit the beach on 7 October, after vessel tracking
providers curiously indicated that the container carrier was ‘Steaming 4
Sunshine’.”
It also noted that
international waste laws and the EU Waste Shipment Regulation are regularly
circumvented by ship owners to falsely declare the continued operations of
end-of-life ships during departure from ports.
Source: ship-technology. 13
October 2017
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