Six Dutch shipping company bosses will appear before a Rotterdam court Wednesday accused of deliberately dumping old ships on the beaches of India and Turkey.

"The prosecution service alleges that the suspects planned to have the boats dismantled in India and Turkey in violation of European laws on transferring waste," the prosecution said.

The companies, which belong to the Seatrade group, face fines of up to 750,000 euros, while the bosses could face up to six months in prison with two months suspended.

Investigations by port police revealed that the companies planned to have four ageing vessels from Rotterdam and Hamburg broken up on the Indian and Turkish beaches.

A vessel named Spring Bear apparently ran aground in 2012 on Alang beach, in the western Indian state of Gujarat which became a major worldwide centre for ship breaking.

Spring Bob apparently finally came ashore in Bangladesh, while two others, Spring Panda and Spring Delia, were demolished in shipyards in Turkey, the investigations found.

"These boats sailing towards their final destinations contain huge quantities of dangerous substances, such as bunker oil, lubricants, and chemical products like chlorine and asbestos," the prosecution said in a statement.

If these substances have not been removed from the vessels before they are stripped down, then they must be treated as toxic waste, it added.

Under European rules, all transfer of such waste for elimination is banned to countries such as India, Bangladesh and Turkey.

In August 2006, toxic residues on board the Panamanian-registered Probo Koala freighter were prevented from being offloaded for treatment in Amsterdam's port.

The ship was instead sent to Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, where the waste was dumped on the city's garbage sites and in at least 18 locations.

Over 500 cubic metres (18,000 cubic feet) of spent caustic soda, oil residues and water killed 17 people and poisoned thousands, Ivorian judges have said.

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

In Kosovo's capital, 'breathing harms health'
Obiliq, Kosovo (AFP) Feb 11, 2018
Every winter morning workers wrap scarves around their faces and emerge from the pea soup fog that engulfs their town of Obiliq, stuck between two coal-fired power stations on the outskirts of Kosovo's capital. If nothing is done, "this place will become a new Chernobyl.... We will have to leave", said Agim Ibrahimi, 46, a manual worker who lives in the town. "Three members of my family have died of cancer... It's a cancerous land." Regardless of the wind's direction, the pungent smell of b ... read more