News

First ship of Greenpeace top 50 list will be decontaminated before delivery to scrapyard

23rd of May, 2003 - After negotiations with Greenpeace in the Port of Rotterdam, American/Norwegian shipowner Stolt Nielsen committed to prevent future pollution and health threats associated with the breaking of ships. The company has a history of dumping contaminated ships on Indian beaches. This important step needs follow up by IMO and other shipowners to safeguard Asian people and environment.

Stolt Nielsen's decision means that demolition of one of the company's vessels, the Stolt Sincerity, will be done only when the vessel has been properly decontaminated of hazardous substances, like PCBs, asbestos and oil. Stolt Nielsen agreed to study and report back to Greenpeace, and other shipping organisations including the International Maritime Organisation, Intertanko and ICS, before the end of 2003 about the possibilities to certify its tankers as contaminate-free. Greenpeace and Stolt Nielsen called upon the IMO and its parties to build on this agreement and adopt mandatory regulations for all shipowners at its upcoming meeting in July 2003.

'People in India have been suffering for years from the effects of hazardous substances as a result of shipbreaking. This agreement is one small step toward protecting the environment and the people of India', said Marietta Harjono, from Greenpeace. 'The signed declaration of Stolt-Nielsen is a good base to continue further discussions with Stolt to make sure that all ships of Stolt-Nielsen will be delivered clean to the shipbreaking yards'.

This step comes in the same week that saw yet another explosion in Alang, India where six people died in a shipbreaking yard while scrapping a vessel. This explosion serves to show the tragedies that occur when shipowners do not take responsibility for the status in which they deliver their ships to a breaking yard.

This breakthrough with Stolt is part of Greenpeace's one month of intense 'Toxic Patrols' in the Port of Rotterdam. The patrols involved friendly visits by volunteers to ships to inform captains and crews of the environmental and health threats associated with the breaking of ships, which are not decontaminated. During these patrols it was clear that many captains and crewmembers agree with Greenpeace that owners need to take responsibility for the clean delivery of their ships.