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On 15 April, 2005, the Danish environmental minister, Connie Hedegaard, sent a fax letter to her counterpart, the Indian environment minister Mr. A. Raja, warning him that a toxic ship-for-scrap carrying carcinogenic asbestos insulation, is expected to arrive in India this week. The ferry ship Kong Frederik IX (now known as Frederik) left Denmark on March 16, 2005, and is headed to Alang for breaking. The fugitive ship is likely to arrive in India by 20 April, 2005.
According to the letter, the ship owners escaped Danish authorities, misleading Danish officials that had ordered the "Kong Frederik IX" to remain in Denmark until it had been decontaminated. Instead, the ship slipped out of a Danish port, and quickly changed its flag and name (to Frederik) and headed straight to the ship-breaking yards of Alang in Gujarat State for breaking. The Danish Minister is asking India to consider this ship illegal traffic under the Basel Convention and have it returned to Denmark so it can be stripped of hazardous substances.
In her letter, Ms. Hedegaard stated: "I believe our interests are joint --and I call on you to cooperate in this case by denying the ship to be dismantled in India - and refer the ship to be returned to Denmark in order to be stripped of the hazardous waste. By this we can send a strong signal that neither India nor Denmark will accept export of environmental problems that could be solved locally, and that we - as governments will not accept this kind of foul play which results in lasting damage to the environment."
The Basel Convention and European Union laws implementing it define ships destined for breaking as hazardous wastes if they contain harmful waste substances. Under the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and the Basel Ban Amendment decision, both fully implemented by the European Union, OECD countries like Denmark are prohibited from exporting hazardous wastes to non-OECD nations.
Source: Greenpeace India
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