Brazil: Toxic aircraft carrier drifts dangerously away after weeks at sea

Brazil: Toxic aircraft carrier drifts dangerously away after weeks at sea

 Emma Poole

31 October 2022 USA Today News

It has been three weeks since the toxic aircraft carrier São Paulo returned to Brazil after Turkey blocked its import and Brazil’s environmental agency IBAMA demanded its return. However, the ship is still adrift more than 12 miles off the coast of Pernambuco state while both the Brazilian Navy and IBAMA fail to require and provide a safe harbor to prevent potential damage to the marine environment. International and national NGOs[1] call for urgent action.

Alarmed by the presence of toxic materials in the structure of the São Paulo, the Pernambuco State Environment Agency (CPRH) refused to allow the hull to dock in the port of Suape, south of Recife on the south coast. Several other Brazilian entities contacted by SOK, the ship’s owner, also refused to temporarily accommodate the ship, allegedly due to a lack of available berths or technical capacity. NGO observers of this impasse urgently call for responsible action by Brazil.

“It’s time for the Brazilian authorities to stop passing the buck and jointly take responsibility for a dangerous situation. IBAMA are now tasked with the environmentally sound management of this vessel but they again fail to ensure this outcome. We now know the Navy has room for it. It’s time to stop playing games,” says Nicola Mulinaris, Senior Communication and Policy Advisor at the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “The ship must dock immediately.”

The ship arrived at its current location on October 5, according to the instructions of the Brazilian Navy’s Ports and Coasts Directorate. He had ordered that the hull in the maritime holding area be checked for integrity by a salvage master company commissioned by SOK. Accordingly, on October 12 and October 14, AWS Service conducted inspections and concluded that due to environmental degradation and structural damage, “immediate mooring/docking for structural repairs is recommended to avoid propagation of damage and the.” to avoid possible loss of stability for a long period at sea.”

After the ship safely docked in Brazil, NGOs are calling for a full resumption of the plan to safely recycle or reuse the ship – a plan that ensures human health and the environment are protected as a priority. Facing the illegality of the attempted transboundary shipment of hazardous waste to Turkey under a Barcelona Convention protocol and the buyer’s unreliable Hazardous Materials Inventory (IHM) submissions, NGOs are urging Brazil and France (the original shipowners) to start over and their performance to perform a new IT and initiate a new sale in which only legal and eligible destinations participate.

“Even though the removal of 55 tons of asbestos took place three decades ago, as recently claimed by the Brazilian Navy, hundreds of tons of asbestos and other toxic materials are likely still on board the São Paulo,” said Annie Thébaud-Mony of Ban Asbestos France. “Based on the quantities found on sister ship, the Clemenceau, this ship is expected to contain around 900 tonnes of hazardous materials, including PCBs and asbestos. The claim that the buildings of São Paulo are contaminated with only 10 tons of asbestos is far from reality.”

Source : www.eurasiareview.com