Ship-breaking industry must overhaul or perish

If this happens, the very existence of Alang would be in jeopardy.

Now when another ghost ship SS Norway aka Blue Lady is reportedly heading towards Alang, it is yet another reminder that Indian ship-breakers have to clean up their act to stay in business.

So far, because of the high cost associated with decontamination in developed countries, it was left to yards in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China with scant respect for environmental safety standards to dispose of these ships. With pressure building from domestic green lobbies, Europe is now doing a serious rethink.

Ironically, Clemenceau has been the watershed for France and the EU to find in-house solutions before packing off the ship with hazardous substances to countries like India. A roadmap has been planned for the dismantling of Clemenceau:

• It is going to berth at Brest on May 16. There is an agreement with Brest city to find a solution by 2008.

• The first phase of sampling to ascertain toxicity will take place now.

• In the second phase, inventory of hazardous waste would be done.

• Public bidding for full decontamination has already been done.

• In the third phase, it will be sent for dismantling, maybe to India again.

• A local committee with the presence of NGOs has been set up to ensure that all this is done safely.

The story in India is different. The Supreme Court had set up a committee under the Ministry of Environment and Forest secretary Prodipto Ghosh and three naval officers to visit Alang and send in their recommendations. Though the committee has visited Alang, it is yet to submit report. In the last hearing of the court on April 28, they requested for more time.

This was after Supreme Court committee on Monitoring of Hazardous Waste had been split in their opinion on whether to allow Clemenceau to come in.

The Government still does not recognise a ship as ‘‘hazardous waste’’ and apply rules concerning their movement as per Basel Convention. Europe, post-Clemenceau recognises it as waste. EU commissioner Stavros Dimas clearly said in his speech at the European Parliament ‘‘all these ships destined to be dismantled or recycled are considered as waste.’’ Greenpeace had invited ship-

breaking industry in February this year to find a way forward, but had received a lukewarm response. They continue to work without equipment or know-how to deal with dangerous substances like asbestos and PCBs.

The SS Norway could be another chance for India to seize the opportunity and frame rules that will ensure clean ship-breaking.