news release
    7th November 2003

Two aged US naval vessels being towed by tugs and carrying almost 100 tons of asbestos and PCB's are expected to enter British territorial waters off the coastline of Cornwall in the next day or two.

They are part of a small convoy of 4 vessels that have been christened the 'ghost fleet' by the US and UK environmental movement. They have caused a storm of protest across the Atlantic and in the European Commission where everyone has been asking the question why should these vessels be scrapped in the UK when salvagers in the US are prepared and can do the job?

At a time when recent shipping disasters have caused untold damage in European waters, European governments should be stopping the transport of hazardous wastes in hulking 'rust buckets' over long distances, which put both the marine environment and public health at risk.

The ghost ships and their onboard contaminants were due to be broken down in Teesside after the US government awarded a contract to Hartlepool company - ABLE UK. But recent court actions have left the contract in tatters and the future of the boats in doubt.

The ships are continuing on their voyage despite being unclear where they will now go after a court action has ruled that no work will be allowed to take place on breaking down the boats until it is clear all permissions are in place. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett has said in a statement that law requires the 'ghost ships' crossing the Atlantic to be returned to the US but that in the case of the first 2 ships this may not be practical.

SAS have been active on the ground in calling for the ghost ships to be returned to the US - we recently demonstrated outside the Teesside offices of ABLE UK. Delivering a consignment of armless children's dolls we highlighted the dangers of dealing with PCB's that have been linked to birth defects and can cause lasting damage if they enter the marine environment.

Richard Hardy SAS Campaigner says: "Everything should now be done to put the safety of our ocean first but these boats should never have been allowed to leave the US. Whilst it looks unlikely that the first two vessels will be turned around, SAS have been assured that the 2 nearest vessels will not be allowed to temporarily dock in Cornwall. We welcome this assurance as we do not have the facilities to deal with them and we would not welcome the vessels in their current state and with the hazardous waste they have. We have suffered enough already from recent shipping disasters and should be striving to ensure our coastline prohibits such vessels from entering our territorial waters. Whilst a safe and temporary alternative must be found SAS have asked the government to look at the possibility of sending these boats to a US Naval Base in Spain if a safe weather passage can be ensured. The boats current position is thought to be in the Bay of Biscay so this could be feasible and would mean the US takes responsibility for its own waste. If not then a temporary storage facility should be found on the condition that these first 2 vessels should be returned to the US as soon as is practicably possible".

For further information please contact Richard Hardy or Andy Cummins on Tel: 01872 553001 or 07817 401480.

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