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Tricks of the trade

WTI waste incinerator, East Liverpool. Enlarge Image

The Turkish authorities have refused the toxic ship

The Turkish authorities have refused the toxic ship "Sea Beirut" entry to the Aliaga scrapyard having been warned of its approach by Greenpeace activists.

Ship being scrapped, Alang, Gujarat, India. Enlarge Image

See you in India...

The trade in toxic waste is outlawed in many countries. However this trade still continues away from the public gaze or under another name. We teamed up with internet activists to expose a common form of toxic waste trade.

Worker scrapping ship at Alang scrap yard Enlarge Image

US plans to dump toxic navy ships on poor countries

It's a logical premise - industrialised nations should not dump their waste on developing countries. Developing countries have enough problems, they don't need toxic and hazardous wastes dumped on them as well. But logic is not a word that is often associated with the US government these days.

Ship being scrapped, Alang, Gujarat, India. Enlarge Image

Nature reserve or scrap yard?

The little known west African state of Guinea Bissau, sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea, includes the Bijagos Archipelagos. The islands are home to a huge range of wildlife and are an internationally recognised wildlife reserve and important local fisheries. Sounds like a fabulous place to dump toxic ships, doesn't it?

Greenpeace activists scale the EU building 'Berlaymont' and display a giant banner stating "Clean toxic ships now". Enlarge Image

Deadly asbestos exported to Asia

Asbestos is cleaned from buildings in Europe because of the hazards to human health. But Europe still exports asbestos to Asia in the form of old ships full of hazardous waste which are scrapped on beaches by unprotected workers. We are acting to put an end to this practice.

Greenpeace activists deliver a sculpture, 2 by 5 metres, made from the remains of ships taken from Indian shipbreaking yards to delegates attending the International Maritime Organisation in London. Enlarge Image

Deadly cost of shipbreaking

Politicians deciding on rules for scrapping old ships got a timely reminder when a sculpture, made from the remains of ships taken from Indian shipbreaking yards, was delivered to delegates attending the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meeting in London.

View of ship breaking yard where hazardous materials onboard ships cause pollution and endanger workers. Enlarge Image

France reclaims toxic ship

After being caught illegally exporting ships containing hazardous waste to Turkey, the French military has seized a former french aircraft carrier they had sold for scrapping. This high seas tale exposes again the underhand tactics and cost cutting of some sections of the shipping industry at the expense of the environment and workers' health.

The International Maritime Organisation's most visible action in response to the Prestige oil spill: a move to evict Greenpeace. Enlarge Image

IMO seeks to remove Greenpeace

One year following the Prestige oil spill, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has done nothing to prevent further catastrophes. Instead, the organisation is trying to remove the consultative status of one of its most outspoken critics: Greenpeace. Here's what you can do to help ensure the IMO has to factor in the voice of the planet and its people when it makes decisions, rather than just the voices of vested interests in the shipping industry.

Rainbow Warrior on toxic patrol in India Enlarge Image

The front line of environmental crime

While we were battling in the rarefied, elite corridors of power at a UN meeting to maintain a voice for protection rather than exploitation of the oceans, our flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, was at the sharp end of environmental exploitation - the ship breaking beaches of India. Discover what it is like to be onboard the Rainbow Warrior for the first time and confronting environmental crimes first hand.

With international agreement that ships can be considered toxic waste, better controls on shipbreaking should result. Enlarge Image

Victory - Toxic ship export controlled

In a major victory for the environment and workers in developing nations the dumping of old ships, often containing tonnes of toxic trash, has now been controlled under international law. This should mean an end to toxic horrors such as workers sorting asbestos with their bare hands on open beaches in Asia.

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Act now: Send a message to the UN on shipbreaking. Play 'tricks of the trade' to find out more about the industry. Are you connected to the shipping industry, a shipspotter, a harbourmaster, a crew member or in any other way able to localize the positions of ships? We need your help!