But last week, two rusting U.S. Navy vessels set out on a potentially risky journey across the Atlantic to be dismantled in northern England.

A British shipyard is being paid $17 million to dispose of these two ships plus 11 other U.S. vessels that have been rusting in Virginia's James River for 15 years and are contaminated with PCBs, asbestos and heavy diesel.

The trans-Atlantic deal is focusing fresh attention on the multimillion-dollar global ship-breaking trade, which sends hundreds of outdated vessels each year to countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and China, where regulations are more lax. And it is stirring concern over possible threats to public health and the environment.

British authorities argue it is better to dispose of such dangerous material in a country with the proper facilities. They have sought to play down fears of environmental degradation by pointing out that less than 1.5 percent of the total bulk of the ships is toxic waste.

But critics, including environmentalists and local residents, say that the ships, some of which are 50 years old and in bad condition, could disintegrate in the ocean. And if they do survive the trip, their toxic elements could pollute land and sea.

"These are U.S., in U.S. waters," said Neil Verlander of Friends of the Earth in London. "Basically they should be cleaning up their own mess rather than exporting it abroad, particularly given the state of disrepair of the ships, which will have a hazardous journey across the Atlantic."

The Navy has more than 100 obsolete vessels, and pressure has been mounting for them to be disposed of before they cause an ecological catastrophe.

The U.S. Maritime Administration, which is responsible for disposing of the James River "ghost fleet," insists that the vessels have been properly surveyed and will not be moved until certified safe. Two more vessels are set to head for northeast England soon, but the other nine are still the subject of court battles over their seaworthiness.

A U.S. Maritime spokeswoman says that the British firm, Able UK, was chosen because "they made us an excellent offer, and they have one of the best facilities in the world." But the deal is raising hackles on both sides of the Atlantic. Some British and European politicians are concerned that it may be the start of a trend. "We don't want to become the United States' dustbin," a European Union spokesman said.

U.S. shipyards, meanwhile, are frustrated that the work has gone to a foreign company. Able UK won the tender with the lowest bid.

That has led some to wonder how the firm could undercut U.S. companies despite the steep cost of towing the vessels across the Atlantic.

It's a question also being posed by angry residents of the English town of Hartlepool, where the ships are to be scrapped.

"It's strange that someone on the other side of the sea can make a profit if the people in America who live in the same area as the ships can't make profit," said Iris Ryder, a countryside warden who lives and works close to the dock where the ships will be broken up.

"It's not very reassuring," she added. "Their idea is to dismantle them in a dry dock, even though they haven't got permission for one, and then bury the asbestos under a layer of clay. That's not what I call high-tech."