News

Report "The Ship Recycling Fund" shows clean shipbreaking can be done profitably

Amsterdam, London, 15 February 2005 - Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network (BAN) have denounced the shipping industry for trying to run away from the Basel Convention's landmark rules that curb the export and dumping of toxic waste, as government and industry meet in a special joint United Nations(1) meeting to address the scandalous practice of exporting toxic-laden obsolete ships to developing countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

Despite a decision of more than 160 countries of the Basel Convention last year that an obsolete ship falls under the Convention, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing one of the world's largest industries, continues to assert that they do not have to abide by the Basel Convention rules against global waste dumping. In a cynical game of United Nations "venue shopping" the ship owners have convinced the IMO to create a new set of rules that are expected to be far less rigorous.

"The global shipping industry to this day, operates as the last of the dump-and-run cowboys, refusing to recognize that it is criminal to allow a free trade in life-impairing pollution," said Basel Action Network coordinator Jim Puckett. "It is estimated that there is a death each day on the brutal breaking beaches of Asia, and all that is necessary to prevent most of these deaths is for the industry to decontaminate the ships in developed countries prior to export."

In a new report entitled The Ship Recycling Fund released today, Greenpeace introduced details of how an economic mechanism to promote clean and safe shipbreaking might work. The system reflects the notion that shipbreaking is a service to the shipping community and the world instead of a toxic waste dumping industry. Embracing the polluter pays and producer responsibility principles, it outlines the financial resources needed, including the costs of ship pre-decontamination, site remediation and the technological upgrading to ensure environmentally sound recycling.

The report not only shows how the financial costs for safe and clean breaking can be borne by the shipping industry, it also demonstrates that the costs are manageable and a minor fraction (0,5%) in relation to the industry's total turnover.

"All we are asking is that one of the world's richest industries pay a tiny fraction of their profits to a ship recycling fund, instead of forcing some of the world's most desperate and poor workers to pay the ultimate price with their lives and health," said Greenpeace's Marietta Harjono. "The industry's greed must know some limit."

The urgency of coming to a solution is shown by the Kong Frederik IX, a 50 year old ferry that has been sold back and forth in Denmark and is now owned by an unknown company. All relevant authorities in Denmark hide behind the lack of clear legislation and thus soon we can expect this ship on one of the shipbreaking yards in India or Bangladesh. Greenpeace takes action today and is branding the Kong Frederik IX with the banner: "Toxic Ships Profit No One".

Notes

(1) Meeting of the joint International Maritime Organisation, Basel Convention and International Labour Organisation Committee on Ship Breaking

Links

- Download a copy of the report "The Ship Recycling Fund"

- For more information schipbreaking, and conflicts between IMO and Basel Convention see:

- http://www.ban.org/Library/briefp5.pdf
- http://www.basel.int/legalmatters/ilo-imo-sbc-wg/1_7_3.doc
- http://www.ban.org