Four toxic US 鈥済host鈥� ships, which have been legally barred from being dismantled in a UK port, should return home says the UK government.
However, UK authorities acknowledge the vessels may not be able to safely traverse the Atlantic during the winter. If this is the case a 鈥渟afe and environmentally sound storage鈥� must be found for the antiquated vessels.
Two decommissioned US Navy ships, the Caloosahatchee and Canisteo, are now approaching the English Channel and will arrive in UK waters within days, say the environmental group Friends of the Earth (FoE).
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The two other ships heading for the UK are currently off the Azores. The ships are the first if 13 ageing hulks that supposed to be dismantled at the UK鈥檚 Hartlepool shipyard by Able UK Ltd.
However, the company鈥檚 waste management licence to dispose of the ships has been ruled invalid. Furthermore, even if they do dock, an injunction against any work other than safety work being carried was granted by the High Court to three Hartlepool residents and FoE on Wednesday.
The dilapidated vessels, which have languished in the James River, Virginia for decades, hold hundreds of tons of asbestos, oil and the gender-bending chemicals PCBs. Bringing them to the UK is 鈥渆xtremely hazardous and poses serious pollution threat鈥� says FoE.
鈥淭he Government agrees that the law requires the ships to be returned to the US,鈥� said Margaret Beckett, the UK environment secretary, on Thursday. She adds that while the UK government would prefer the ships to return home, it might be impractical for the two nearing the UK.
Rapid resolution
鈥淭he US authorities have drawn attention to a number of reasons why they feel it would not be safe, environmentally sound, or practicable to require these vessels鈥� return to the US now,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n particular, they draw attention to weather concerns at this time of year.鈥�
The vessels near the English Channel may have to overwinter in a safe place, which the government and UK Environment Agency are now investigating. The US is also reluctant to take back the two ships off the Azores, although Beckett says the government is pushing for a 鈥渞apid resolution鈥� of their status.
鈥淭hese ships should never have crossed the Atlantic in the first place,鈥� says FoE鈥檚 Mike Childs. The group wants an independent assessment of the hazards of returning or storing the first two ships.
鈥淭hese ships basically are in a very bad condition,鈥� says Helen Burley, also with FoE. She says the US authorities had classified them as having a high risk of leaking.
Grave and imminent
Although the ships were assessed as seaworthy for their outward voyage, prevailing winds from North America to the UK might make it harder for the vessels to return, in addition to the risk of more hazardous winter conditions, she told 快猫短视频.
The UK鈥檚 Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has no plans to inspect the vessels. It can only intervene in cases of 鈥済rave and imminent safety or pollution threats to the UK coastline鈥�.
鈥淭he vessels were inspected by our surveyors a couple of days prior to leaving the James River facility,鈥� MCA spokesman Martin Collins told 快猫短视频. 鈥淎s far as we are concerned, they were certainly seaworthy to do the trans-Atlantic run this way.鈥� But without further inspections, the MCA will not comment on the vessels鈥� current seaworthiness.
The US Maritime Administration, MARAD, responsible for the 70 or more obsolete vessels sitting in the James River, says it sought approval from various UK and US agencies. 鈥淲ithout these official approvals in hand, these ships would not have departed their James River moorings,鈥� it says in a statement.
The injunction on dismantling the rusting ships only lasts until 8 December, when it will be reviewed.