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Protest against toxic ship leaving for India

Vaiju Naravane

Greenpeace says aircraft carrier Clemenceau, which is to be dismantled in Gujarat, is contaminated with asbestos

PARIS: Greenpeace activists on Monday staged a protest in the French southwestern port of Toulon against the dismantling of the highly contaminated French aircraft carrier, Clemenceau, in India. The Clemenceau is contaminated with asbestos, a highly toxic cancer-causing substance .

Several protesters from the environmental organisation scaled the ship, placing banners atop its mast that read: "Asbestos carrier, stay out of India." Police dislodged several protesters but some of them continued to cling on to the ship's mast. The ship was refused permission for dismantling in Greece and Turkey as it was too hazardous.

There have been several high-profile anti-asbestos trials in France. A recent parliamentary report rapped the French Government for negligence towards a health hazard that is expected to cause an estimated 100,000 deaths in the decade to come.

Once hailed as a miracle industrial product because of its fireproof qualities, asbestos has become a major health hazard. As it ages, the product flakes off surfaces, releasing microscopic particles into the air. Breathing in these particles leads to cancer.

"It is unthinkable that the French Government is preparing to allow such a contaminated ship to be sent to India for dismantling where ship breaking yards are not equipped to deal with toxic ships," Pascal Husting, executing director, Greenpeace France, told The Hindu over the phone.

The Clemenceau was sold after decommissioning to a German company, SDIC, a subsidiary of the industrial giant, Thyssen-Krup. The steel on the Clemenceau, which has a tonnage of 28,000 tonnes, is valued at 8 million euros.

Report on risks

The Clemenceau is supposed to be dismantled in the shipyards of Alang in Gujarat.

"We still do not know the exact date of departure, but we are calling on the French Government to stop the departure of the ship unless decontamination is first carried out here. Our research shows that for each such ship dismantled in India or elsewhere in the absence of decontaminating facilities, one person dies as a result of toxic poisoning. Today, in Geneva, we are presenting a report in conjunction with the International Federation of Human Rights on the social and health risks involved in such operations," Mr. Husting said.

The French Government is a signatory to the Basel Convention of 1972 on the export of toxic waste. "The French Government under its commitments cannot allow the ship to leave in this condition," he said.

The Greenpeace report details the stories of 110 workers in India and Bangladesh who died during dismantling operations in recent years.

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