Poison Fleet to sail trough Irish waters

international | environment | news report Thursday September 25, 2003 20:17 by ghost fleet

The British government has given the green light to a fleet of 13 decrepit and contaminated former U.S. Navy supply ships to cross the Atlantic to a scrapyard in Teeside. But first they must get Irish, belgian and french permisson.

Thursday September 25, 04:36 PM

UK approves passage of polluted "ghost fleet"
LONDON (Reuters) - The government has given the green light to a controversial scheme in which a fleet of 13 decrepit and contaminated former U.S. Navy supply ships will cross the Atlantic to a scrapyard in Teeside.

The Department of Transport's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) ruled on Thursday that the first two vessels in the "ghost fleet" could enter UK waters as soon as adjustments were made.

The dilapidated supply ships are polluted with carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) -- banned in the 1970s -- asbestos, and varying quantities of heavy marine diesel oil.

however, that although Britain had given approval, French, Irish and Belgian maritime authorities still had to pass the passage plan

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this can be stopped should irish marine authorites refuse to give permisson. time to begin a campagin against this and prevent a dangerous precednt, allowing irish and british waters to fill with junk ships.