A ship formerly known as the Clemenceau – now referred to as the Q790 - has docked in the British city of Hartlepool, where it will be recycled in what is being called “the largest ship recycling project ever undertaken in Europe.”
The Q790, a former French Navy ship, has been searching for a place to dock for several years, but was continuously rejected by nations including Greece and Turkey because the vessel is laden with harmful asbestos materials. In fact, in 2006, a group of Greenpeace activists boarded the ship while she was moored off the coast of Egypt with signs and banners reading “ASBESTOS CARRIER: STAY OUT OF INDIA” in protest.
In order to dock in Hartlepool, the recycling company that will be dismantling the ship had to obtain “special permission” from the offices of the British Environment Agency, as well as the Health and Safety Executive.
Authorities have been leery of allowing the Q790 to dock in their country due to the ship’s severe contamination. The Q790 contains a number of asbestos products, including piping insulation and floor tiles, as well as other toxins, such as lead.
The ship recycling company, Able Ship Recycling, will have to be extremely cautious when dismantling the Q790, as asbestos products could become friable and airborne, putting individuals present at risk of inhalation. If inhaled, asbestos fibers may lead to the eventual development of mesothelioma, a fatal form of asbestos cancer.
Dismantling of the ship will occur at the Able Ship Recycling Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre. About 200 new jobs will be created as a result of the project, according to authorities in the region.
The Q790 was launched in the late fifties and was an integral member of the French fleet, sailing well over a million nautical miles before she was withdrawn from service after almost fifty years at sea. An additional 7 ships from the UK and United States are also being recycled at the Teesside location.
The issue of contamination on the Q790 is not an isolated problem. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here in the U.S. imposed a fine of half a million dollars on Global Shipping LLC and Global Marketing Systems, Inc. following the illegal export of a ship that contained high levels of PCBs, which is a violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Global Marketing Systems, Inc. purchased a ship formerly known as the SS Independence, which was laden with hazardous contaminants, and towed the vessel out of California’s San Francisco Bay with plans to scrap the ship off the beaches of Bangladesh and India. Two different groups notified EPA.
“We’re very happy that EPA took their job seriously and that one of the world’s leading exporters and exploiters of the infamous shipbreaking beaches of South Asia has finally been held to account,” stated Jim Puckett, Executive Director of Basal Action Network, an organization that is dedicated to stopping the export of harmful contaminants such as asbestos and PCBs.
Shipbreaking has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous industries in South Asia. Countless workers are injured or killed while dismantling ships in India and Bangladesh each year.