Clemenceau: Turning point in ship breaking industry

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The French warship, Clemenceau.

"The writing is on the wall; the industry must acknowledge that competitive advantage cannot be based on exploitation.  There is an urgent need for new vision and leadership in Alang," said Ramapati Kumar, Toxics Campaigner, Greenpeace India, "We have written to the ship-breakers' association offering to work closely with them to ensure that Alang becomes the destination of choice for responsible dismantling of end-of-life ships."

"It is a victory for the workers in the ship breaking yards across Asia who will be beneficially impacted by this decision," said All India Trade Union Congress deputy secretary H. Mahadevan, "We will take steps to ensure that the unorganized workers of Alang are aware of their rights and demand improved facilities from authorities."

President Chirac has indicated that this is a moment of transformation for the entire industry. Commentators in France are hailing this as the beginning of a new era for economic cooperation between the global North and South.

"We urge the Indian and French governments to use the opportunity presented by President Chirac's visit to create a new model for Indo-European trade, one that equally emphasizes economic benefits, environmental sustainability and human rights," said G. Ananthapadmanabhan, Executive Director, Greenpeace India, "The French expressed their concern for Indian environment and worker safety, manifested in their offer to transfer technology to Alang. We expect President Chirac to commit firmly to this offer during his visit to India."

For further information, contact

For further information contact:
Ramapati Kumar, Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner +929845535414
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner +919845535418
Vivek Sharma, Greenpeace India Communications +919343788424
Namrata Chowdhary, Greenpeace India Communication +919810850092