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Basel Action Network &
Greenpeace Press Release
Greenpeace and BAN activists demonstrate against asbestos-laden P&O Nedlloyd ship the "Encounter Bay" in Singapore Harbour. January 11, 1999. Singapore, Monday January 11, 1999: Greenpeace and Basel Action Network (BAN) activists escorted the toxic-contaminated ship Encounter Bay as it arrived in Singapore harbour this morning, to protest against the export of toxic waste to Asia. In a daring waterborne protest the environmental activists flew banners reading "P&O Nedlloyd Stop Toxic Trade" as the vessel approached the harbour. After it docked, they attached another giant banner to the side of the ship. Singapore is the fifth city where Greenpeace and BAN have protested against as it makes it final journey before being scrapped. The ship, which was sold by the Dutch/UK company P&O Nedlloyd en route to Singapore, is contaminated with high levels of toxic and hazardous materials, including heavy metals and asbestos. It will go to shipbreakers in China where its toxic materials will pollute the environment and endanger the health of workers during the scrapping process. "Export of this ship from the Netherlands to China via Singapore is clearly illegal and immoral, yet there exists a conspiracy of silence around this practice," said Jim Puckett of BAN. Greenpeace and BAN have called on the government of Singapore to prevent the toxics-laden ship from leaving Singapore and alerted the Chinese authorities of its impending arrival. The United Nations Basel Convention prohibits the export of hazardous waste, including asbestos, from members of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to non-OECD countries. China has banned the import of toxic waste. "The shipbreaking industry in Asia has expanded rapidly in the past 15 years because of the high cost of upholding strict environmental and health and safety standards in developed countries," said Greenpeace Netherlands campaigner Eco Matser. "To maximise profits ship owners around the world now send their ships to Asian scrapyards, where these standards are virtually ignored and poor labourers are desperate for jobs." Greenpeace and BAN have targeted the Encounter Bay as an example of waste ships that are exported to Asia each year to be scrapped without first being decontaminated. Since November last year environmental activists have held protests on the ship in Rotterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Auckland and now Singapore. P&O Nedlloyd admits that the environmental and health risks associated with scrapping ships like Encounter Bay are "unacceptable" but refuse to stop sending their ships to Asia. "The Encounter Bay is one of 700 ships that are sent each year to Asia to avoid taking responsibility for decontaminating them," said Greenpeace India campaigner Nityanand Jayaraman. "The poisoning of Chinese, Indian and other Asian workers for the profits of the shipping industry must cease." According to a 1989 Singapore study shipbreaking is a hazardous industry leading to significant and debilitating toxic lead exposure. It has been estimated that one quarter of the world's 80,000 shipbreakers will contract cancer due to exposure to asbestos and toxic substances.
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