Ruling due on 'ghost fleet'

[emad]

The UK's BBC reports that a US court is preparing to rule on a move by
environmentalists to stop a so-called "toxic ghost fleet" of former navy ships sailing to the UK for scrapping. Campaigners claim chemicals, asbestos and fuel oil contained in the 13 vessels - part of a larger fleet of old decommissioned US ships - could pose a serious risk if the ships deteriorate during the journey.

Two American pressure groups have launched a court action in Washington DC, to prevent the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) from allowing the first two ships to leave their shores. But the contract to scrap the vessels would create about 200 jobs and is worth £16m to the Teesside firm that is waiting to receive the 40- to 50-year-old ships.

As campaigners filed their action on Wednesday, the UK's Environment Agency approved the decision to bring the ships to the UK for scrapping, saying it was "a better solution for the environment than disposing of vessels in under-developed countries".

The 13 ships are in serious states of deterioration with several of them already having leaked oil into the James River in Virginia

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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/3147916.stm

Thanks for the maritime crap, Dubya...looking forward to returning the compliment one day soon!

[commander bunnypants]

1. seen em

I live on the James. If anything the ghost fleet is very quiet and eerie.


DDQM

[emad]

2. It's taken its cue from John Paul 2:

toxic, nasty, and heading for the scrapheap....

Pity that it can't be recycled in some more appropriate location, such as Kennebunkport??????

[Devils Advocate NZ]

3. Who are the poor bastards who have to sail these things?

No way you'd get me on a ship that is so old it is a concern that it might fall apart in mid voyage! Then again, perhaps that is the whole point?

They'll sail these ships into the first storm they find, abandon them, sink them, and they get the money without having to spend a cent on actually scrapping them and cleaning them up!

[emad]

4. They're going to be TOWED all the way across the Atlantic by

a fleet of tugs, around the southern coast of Ireland, through the world's busiest maritime waterway the English Channel and then up the UK east coast to Hartlepool (whose Member of Parliament is mega con artist Peter Mandelson).

Yep: Just hope another Hurricane Isabel doesn't suddenly show up mid-Atlanitc!

But your point about a possible sinking is apposite: does Halliburton also do maritime salvage ops?

[underpants]

5. Hold it wait! Someone is taking trash OUT of Virginia???

My God Gilmore's whole economic model is falling to pieces in front of us.

IF you aren't aware Virginia is (I think) the biggest importer of GARBAGE in the east. IF someone throws it away in New YOrk City it ends up in Virginia.

[emad]

6. True...isn't Virginia the home of the 'George Bush Centre for

Intelligence' - the CIA certainly has acquired a reputation for importing garbage (Saddam wmds, UK's yellowcake uranium fairystories etc etc)

[underpants]

7. Don't confuse garbage with scapegoating

Two very different things. The whole thing with the CIA (IMHO) is:

a.going to blow up W's face. They are sick of being blamed for everything, especially the things they told him (et al) weren't right

b.a prelude to anything 9/11 investigations dig up. They were/are trying to paint them in a bad light and weaken the CIA (brilliant) politically so that if say the August 6th security briefing W saw at the ranch turns up W can just point his finger at the CIA and the sheeple will already accept their guilt.

[emad]

8. True enough....I was just thinking there's still an awful lot of

unfinished business since Aldric Ames got busted and the CIA admitted it had no way of knowing just how much damage (or what kind) had still to be done.

Don't discount the activities of mavericks in th agency.....but can see it would be politically very nimble for Dubya to smear his own intelligence services in order to push for non-democratically elected personal chums to run his homeland security department.

Guess not much will change until ALL government ministers are chosen by secret ballot - as opposed to presidential patronage - and are personally accountable to the voters who elected them to political office....

[Gin]

10. we DO have both kinds of garbage here in Virginia.

these ships will sink on the way...I would like to see the contract terms on this.

[On the Road]

9. They Usually Go to India

There's a small city there that supports itself by dismantling large ships and selling the scrap. (Wired had an article with pics last year.)