Greenpeace activists board the carrier ship Clemenceau 50 nautical miles off the coast of Egypt, hanging a banner that reads “Asbestos carrier stay out of India.” Greenpeace is protesting against transit of the Clemenceau, which has been sent to India for decommissioning despite widespread outrage at the high levels of asbestos and other hazardous materials it contains.
At 12.00 hrs this morning, two activists boarded the carrier 50
nautical miles from the coast of Egypt in international waters.
They are currently on the ship's mast with banners declaring
"ASBESTOS CARRIER: STAY OUT OF INDIA".
The Indian Supreme Court Monitoring Committee has already
acknowledged that the arrival of the Clemenceau in India would be a
violation of the Basel Convention, the international treaty
preventing trade in hazardous materials.
Greenpeace is now calling on Egypt to refuse permission for the
Clemenceau to enter the Suez Canal and progress further towards its
final destination of Alang, India.
The Clemenceau has been the subject of intense international
debate, as the French Government refuses to reconsider its decision
to send the military aircraft carrier to India without prior
decontamination. The ship had already been refused entry into
Greece, when military personnel had to board the ship in the
Mediterranean to return it to France.
Greenpeace activists demonstrated against the ship's departure
from France, with non-violent protests in simultaneously in France
and India.
"The Clemenceau presents an immediate danger to the Indian
environment and to the workers at the Alang ship-breaking yard,"
said Jacob Hartmann, Greenpeace campaigner on board the vessel that
halted the Clemenceau's progress today. "There is more than
sufficient evidence to establish that the French Government has
failed to decontaminate the ship, even to the standards they agreed
to, let alone to international standards. We simply cannot allow
the ship to get any closer to its destination. India has spoken,
and they do not want this ship!"
In India, the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee proclaimed on 7
January that importing the Clemenceau to India would be considered
a serious violation of the Basel Convention (1), after hearing the
testimony of asbestos removal experts from officials from
Technopure: the company originally contracted by the French
Government to decontaminate the ship, who stated that at least 500
tonnes of asbestos still remain onboard. (2)
In France, Greenpeace and the Ban Asbestos Network started court
proceedings, two days ago, to remove the confidentiality clause
from the contract on asbestos removal from the Clemenceau, so that
details regarding toxic substances onboard may be revealed. The
Court ruled yesterday that two independent experts would assess the
information from Technopure and present a report on the contents of
the Clemenceau to the NGOs by 15 February at the latest.
"France has repeatedly tried to evade its responsibility
regarding the Clemenceau," said Ramapati Kumar, Greenpeace India
Toxics Campaigner. "Their standards for handling asbestos are
amongst the highest in the world. But instead of investing in safe
removal and disposal of the asbestos on the Clemenceau, they are
trying to dupe the Indian Government, and dump their toxic wastes
onto the poorest of the poor of the world. This is absolutely
reprehensible; certainly not the kind of attitude one would expect
of a supposedly civilised nation!"
"People in India are outraged with the Ministry of Environment
and Forests which is ready to accept the lies of the French
Government, therefore we urge citizens to tell Minister A. Raja to
'Say No To Clemenceau' by sending him a message and telling him
just what they think," he added.
Greenpeace is demanding that:
1. The French Government agrees to take back the Clemenceau and
decontaminate it thoroughly before allowing it to leave Europe.
2. The Indian Government refuses to allow the Clemenceau
permission to arrive in India as long as the ship is not thoroughly
decontaminated.
3. The Egyptian Government upholds its commitment to the Basel
Convention, and refuses permission for the Clemenceau to transit
through Egypt or to enter the Suez Canal and head further towards
India until the Basel obligations are fulfilled.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems to force solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/deathship
For further information, contact
Jacob Hartmann, Greenpeace Nordic, (mobile) +45 28109020
Martin Besieux in Egypt, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner + 32 49 616 1585
Ramapati Kumar, Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner, +91 98455 35414
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner, +91 98455 35418
Mhairi Dunlop, Greenpeace International Communications, +44 7801 212 960
Vivek Sharma, Greenpeace India Communications, +91 93437 88424
Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network, expert on the Basel Convention, +1 206 354 0391
Photos available from Franca Michienzi, Photo Desk +31 653 819 255
Video available from Michael Nagasaka, Video Desk +31 646 166 309
Notes to Editor
1. This means that at least 80% of the asbestos amount is still onboard. France claims that 115 tonnes of asbestos has been removed. Technopure claims that at least 500 tonnes is still onboard. This means that at least 615 tonnes of asbestos were onboard the Clemenceau originally.
2. As per decision VII/26 taken at the COP7 meeting of the Basel Convention, end-of-life ships are considered 'waste' and it is irrelevant that the Clemenceau is a 'war ship.'
3. Egypt has already officially said that it would uphold the Basel convention for ships heading for breaking yards going through the canal. Amongst other things, Egypt has stated that prior notification procedures should be implemented when such ships transit through the Suez Canal. Failing compliance with those requirements, Egypt - as a party to the convention - shall consider such a crossing an illegal one in line with the Basel convention provisions.