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The scandal of the toxic waste dumped in the Ivory Coast first came to
light on September 6 when the first casualties where reported and
protests broke out on the streets against the government, which was
blamed for allowing the dumping.
There is no doubt that the wastes are deadly. Four of the six dead are children and 23 people have required hospital treatment so far. The fact that the toxic waste was dumped openly on the streets of a city is shocking enough. The fact that the waste was delivered by a ship chartered by Trafigura LTD (controlled by Dutch firm Trafigura Beheer BV), who claimed they thought the waste would be 'properly treated' in a poor African nation raises serious questions about why they sent it to Africa. The fact that international law may have been broken makes it a serious scandal that such deadly incidents still occur today.
We campaigned long and hard for an international ban on the dumping of toxic waste by rich countries in poor countries, which resulted in the Basel Ban in 1998. So we want to know how the dumping occurred, what was dumped and who is responsible. A full version of what we know to date is available but here is a short summary:
On 19 August, a ship called the Probo Koala unloaded a toxic waste shipment in Abidjan, the main economic capital of the Ivory Coast. However it was not until the first week of September that the incident came to light. The Ivorian Ministry of Health announced an extraordinary meeting that led to the dismissal of its government on 6 September.
As international and/or local environmental laws may have been broken, we are calling for a transparent and thorough investigation by the respective international and local authorities. The facts behind this deadly tragedy in the Ivory Coast remain obscured by the vessel charterer, Trafigura.
We continue to investigate the chain of events, but the lack of transparency in the shipping industry as a whole, and specifically from Trafigura and various port authorities, are hiding the facts from the public. Official investigations on the national and international levels are urgently called for to establish liabilities, to indicate where nations are failing to uphold their international commitments and to make sure this deadly type of export never happens again.
On July 2 the Probo Koala attempted to unload waste in Amsterdam. Noting the strong-smelling nature of the waste and probable toxic nature, harbour authorities told the ship that the waste would be more expensive to dispose of. The ship refused to pay extra treatment costs and left Amsterdam. Where the ship went between the 2 July and 19 August, and what it did with its toxic cargo, remains unclear.
Once in Abidjan the ship unloaded waste supposedly to be treated by an Ivorian waste handling firm. In fact the waste, which appears to consist of volatile hydrocarbons, was dumped at 11 sites in the city. Symptoms reported by those who come in contact with the waste include respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness, vomiting (including throwing up blood), burns and irritation from the toxic waste.
Once it is established where the waste originated in Europe, that country could be liable to take back the waste. If the toxic waste was considered regulated under the Basel Convention and bound for export, the Dutch Authorities could have prevented the ship leaving with toxic waste onboard.
While it is obvious that the crisis could not have happened without the local public and private complicity, the company Trafigura clearly should be the centre of an investigation into any attempt to take advantage of legal loopholes and grey areas to assess if it deliberately broke the law.
There is no doubt that the wastes are deadly. Four of the six dead are children and 23 people have required hospital treatment so far. The fact that the toxic waste was dumped openly on the streets of a city is shocking enough. The fact that the waste was delivered by a ship chartered by Trafigura LTD (controlled by Dutch firm Trafigura Beheer BV), who claimed they thought the waste would be 'properly treated' in a poor African nation raises serious questions about why they sent it to Africa. The fact that international law may have been broken makes it a serious scandal that such deadly incidents still occur today.
Back from the past?
We campaigned long and hard for an international ban on the dumping of toxic waste by rich countries in poor countries, which resulted in the Basel Ban in 1998. So we want to know how the dumping occurred, what was dumped and who is responsible. A full version of what we know to date is available but here is a short summary:
On 19 August, a ship called the Probo Koala unloaded a toxic waste shipment in Abidjan, the main economic capital of the Ivory Coast. However it was not until the first week of September that the incident came to light. The Ivorian Ministry of Health announced an extraordinary meeting that led to the dismissal of its government on 6 September.
As international and/or local environmental laws may have been broken, we are calling for a transparent and thorough investigation by the respective international and local authorities. The facts behind this deadly tragedy in the Ivory Coast remain obscured by the vessel charterer, Trafigura.
We continue to investigate the chain of events, but the lack of transparency in the shipping industry as a whole, and specifically from Trafigura and various port authorities, are hiding the facts from the public. Official investigations on the national and international levels are urgently called for to establish liabilities, to indicate where nations are failing to uphold their international commitments and to make sure this deadly type of export never happens again.
Mystery movements
On July 2 the Probo Koala attempted to unload waste in Amsterdam. Noting the strong-smelling nature of the waste and probable toxic nature, harbour authorities told the ship that the waste would be more expensive to dispose of. The ship refused to pay extra treatment costs and left Amsterdam. Where the ship went between the 2 July and 19 August, and what it did with its toxic cargo, remains unclear.
Once in Abidjan the ship unloaded waste supposedly to be treated by an Ivorian waste handling firm. In fact the waste, which appears to consist of volatile hydrocarbons, was dumped at 11 sites in the city. Symptoms reported by those who come in contact with the waste include respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness, vomiting (including throwing up blood), burns and irritation from the toxic waste.
Will anyone take responsibility?
Once it is established where the waste originated in Europe, that country could be liable to take back the waste. If the toxic waste was considered regulated under the Basel Convention and bound for export, the Dutch Authorities could have prevented the ship leaving with toxic waste onboard.
While it is obvious that the crisis could not have happened without the local public and private complicity, the company Trafigura clearly should be the centre of an investigation into any attempt to take advantage of legal loopholes and grey areas to assess if it deliberately broke the law.
