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SHIPPING COMPANY HAMBURG SÜD REJECTS GREENPEACE ACCUSATIONS: OETKER SHIPPING GROUP TO SOLVE ASBESTOS PROBLEMS BEFORE SCRAPPING

Press Release of Hamburg Sud, (translation by Greenpeace)

HAMBURG, Germany, 10 May 1999 -- The accusations levelled against the Dr. August Oetker KG subsidiary, HAMBURG SÜD The Shipping Group, by Greenpeace today (10 May 1999) are incorrect. Greenpeace had claimed that the shipping company was planning to have two vessels contaminated by asbestos scrapped in Asia. This is not the case. HAMBURG SÜD is currently examining alternatives to ensure that asbestos is properly disposed of before the ships are wrecked, so that, in particular, the threat from asbestos to the workers involved can be avoided to the greatest possible extent.

HAMBURG SÜD will be issuing further information as soon as it is known which yard is to scrap the vessels. This will happen within the next four weeks.

The two ships will definitely not be disposed of in Alang, India. In early October 1998, HAMBURG SÜD had arranged through a broker for the vessel "Columbus New Zealand" to be wrecked in Alang, where several hundred ships from all over the world are scrapped annually. The working conditions and ecological circumstances in which this is done were not known to HAMBURG SÜD at the time, as the "Columbus New Zealand" was the very first ship belonging to the shipping company to be scrapped.

Greenpeace further accuses HAMBURG SÜD of not being prepared "to talk to Greenpeace about the whereabouts of the two old vessels".

This is also incorrect, as Greenpeace had actually only demanded the ships registers of harmful substances.

| HAMBURG SÜD refused this request and, together with the German Shipowners Association, offered to seek joint approaches to the resolution of problems arising from the scrapping of ships internationally, instead of merely talking about registers of harmful substances. At this point Greenpeace broke off talks.

HAMBURG SÜD wishes to emphasize that the door to such talks | remains open and reiterates its offer to Greenpeace to work jointly with the German Shipowners Association on solving these | problems.

 

 

For further information please call: HAMBURG SÜD - Public

Relations - Eva Graumann

Ost-West-Str. 59 - 20457 Hamburg - Phone:+49 40 3705 2627 -

Fax:+49 40 3705 2649

 

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