The ship recycling market could be set for a revival in the coming days and weeks, as more dry bulk vintage tonnage could be sold for demolition. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Clarkson Platou Hellas said that “with China implementing new lockdown regulations, the dry freight market was sent into further negative spins and therefore, we may now see more vintage dry units circulated into the market. A capesize bulker achieved a very impressive number this week, as per the sale listed below, with a good quantity of bunkers RoB. However, there are rumours the buyer may attempt to fix on a short trade, despite the poor sentiment in the dry sector, which could then justify the premium paid. If the sale is aimed towards a resale into Bangladesh and the hope of the Government once again allowing larger L/C’s to be opened (from the current limit of USD 3.0 mill), then unfortunately information obtained from Bangladesh towards the latter part of the week will not aide the Buyers resale structure.
Source: Clarkson Platou (Hellas) ltd
The shipbroker added that “information became apparent that new taxations may come be implemented as the Government aim to set reasonable prices of nine products, including flour, edible oil, lentils, sugar, rice, flour, coarse flour, cement and rods, within the next 15 days in an effort to bring stability to the country’s economy. There are even discussions of lawsuits being filed against anyone disregarding the designated prices. Pakistan is currently undergoing horrific flooding from the monsoon rains and the industry is really at a standstill for the time being. Our thoughts and prayers go to those currently suffering from these tragic floods. With the country still suffering from their currency woes, and the current flooding, little activity is expected for the foreseeable future”, Clarkson Platou Hellas concluded.
Meanwhile, GMS (www.gmsinc.net), the world’s leading cash buyer of ships, said in its latest weekly report, that “activity and availability of sales candidates seem to be finally starting to increase as we enter the month of September and the fourth (and final) quarter of the year. Dry bulk (and particularly Capesize bulker) rates have declined noticeably of late, and this is seeing an increasing number of enquiries on dry units starting to come forth for a potential sale for recycling. This increase couldn’t have come at a better time as local demand for tonnage has been gradually ramping up again, after an extremely quiet summer / flooded monsoon. Of course, after the collapse of the Sri Lankan economy earlier this year, difficulties persist in the sub-continent markets as both Pakistan and Bangladesh have been teetering perilously close to the brink as well”.
Source: GMS,Inc
According to GMS, “Pakistan has been beset by catastrophic flooding over the past week, with thousands of people losing their lives and millions displaced. In fact, some international media have been reporting that nearly one-third of the country is currently underwater. As such, calls for urgent humanitarian aid have reached the international community this week, with the situation becoming increasingly dire. Bangladesh is still struggling with L/Cs with any transaction valued at over USD 2 – USD 3 million needing Central bank approval, which is ensuring that most large LDT / higher value candidates are being diverted to competing markets and even the lower placed India, as Cash Buyers and Ship Owners both do not want to run the risk of getting stuck there, especially when levels have already fallen so much. India remains the most resilient market and is now becoming the go to destination (albeit at lower prices) for shipowners wishing to get their vessels delivered comparatively hassle and headache free, be it at a lower price. Finally, the Turkish market remains marginally changed from last week, as import steel and the Turkish Lira both report decreases during the week, all while local sentiments remain in the doldrums”, GMS concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
Nautilus International played a prominent part in UK Maritime Safety Week 2022. Taking place from 4-8 July with support from the UK Department for Transport, the focus this year was on safety best practice. Jon Parkin and Rob Coston report
A 2021 study of seafarers published in the British Medical Journal found that, over a four-year period, 6.31 out of every 1,000 seafarers were affected by occupational injuries and diseases. The study’s conclusion – that ‘workers at sea have high mortality, injuries and illnesses and work in a hazardous environment compared to ashore workers’ – will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever found themselves in a maritime workplace.
This year’s Maritime Safety Week aimed to do something about the grim statistics by bringing together a range of organisations to share knowledge and learn from each other, from government bodies to maritime employers, charities and membership bodies – including Nautilus of course.
Nautilus speaks at safety week
Port Skills and Safety (PSS), the UK’s professional ports health and safety membership organisation, scheduled its annual conference to be part of Maritime Safety Week on 5 July – with panels and speeches from members of the maritime community. Representatives from the Department for Transport and the British Ports Association were present, and UK maritime minister Robert Courts MP said that safety should be at the core of the country’s maritime strategy alongside education/upskilling and the government’s objectives as laid out in the Maritime 2050 strategy.
Nautilus was represented by general secretary Mark Dickinson, who took the opportunity to stress the importance of proper training and investment into the maritime workforce in order to ensure safe practices.
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson
In his speech he also talked about the need for communication between unions and employers, so that maritime workers have a secure channel of communication to share safety issues they have identified. This point was echoed during the week by UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Sarah Treseder, who agreed that good safety practice can only be achieved if shipowners, the MCA and unions work together and share information openly,
‘Our industry, while strategically vital, remains hazardous,’ Mr Dickinson told attendees. ‘Workplace injuries are all too common and sometimes tragically lives are lost. We must commend Port Skills & Safety for its work in bringing together unions, employers and safety experts to tackle these issues. Only through constructive dialogue between stakeholders can we ensure our ports are safer workplaces for our people.
‘Our maritime professionals must be given the opportunity to train and learn new skills, so they can be active participants in the future of the maritime industry, an industry they already know, and many will have worked in for their entire lives. Investing in our workforce so more seafarers can transition from sea to shore and vice versa, that allows for all workers to upskill and reskill, is in all our interests.’
The dangers of fatigue
During his speech, Mr Dickinson also flagged up an issue of note: who should be allowed to carry out lashing on containerships?
‘Lashing by seafarers creates another safety issue. Nautilus believes that this should be carried out by trained stevedores, not overworked and fatigued seafarers. Cargo work, lashing and unlashing, is dockers’ work.’
Lashings by seafarers creates another safety issue. Image: Danny Cornelissen
Shortly after the speech, a Dutch court ruled in favour of unions including Nautilus International over a collective bargaining agreement clause around the lashing of vessels. The clause, which applies in all ports worldwide and came into force on 1 January 2020, stipulates that lashing must be done by qualified dock workers. If dock workers are not available, then seafarers may only lash on a voluntary basis and in return for additional pay. Nautilus’s Netherlands branch and other trade unions had brought the case after employers, shipowners and charterers refused to comply, but the court has now ordered them to comply in the port of Rotterdam and elsewhere or face hefty fines.
This is an important victory in the greater struggle against seafarer fatigue – which is dangerous as it increases the risk of accidents, as well as being detrimental to mental health.
However, this is a multi-front war. There are, of course, the traditional causes of fatigue – for example, the ever-increasing crew workload which was identified as a serious risk in the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report from the Mission to Seafarers. There are also new issues such as the proliferation of ‘safety’ paperwork, which some commentators believe can get in the way of actually improving the situation by creating extra work and a tick-box .
Nautilus has long identified overwork and low-cost crewing models as unsustainable and a threat to safety, and can present credible research to back up its case.
The Telegraph has previously covered the Culture of Adjustment report from World Maritime University (WMU), released in 2020, which found widespread malpractices in the recording of work and rest hours with a culture of adjustment – both on and off ship – normalising fatigue among seafarers that could lead to serious casualties, loss of life and environmental damage
Following on from this, WMU is expanding the scope by launching a new survey of seafarers covering crewing levels plus work and rest hours, developed in cooperation with IFSMA, the Nautical Institute, IMarEST and ISWAN and tying in with conversations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Any Nautilus International members that have worked on a commercial ship after 1 February 1997 are encouraged to take part by visiting the WMU survey. The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete and all responses are confidential. The quantitative data that will be collected about seafarers’ practices regarding work and rest will be used to strengthen ongoing research, with the ultimate aim of enhance provisions on seafarers’ work and rest hours.
Mental health still a key concern
Maritime Safety Week was focused on the practical aspects of safety onboard, but outside of the event itself, charities, employers, unions and governments are continuing to work on the issue of seafarer mental health.
Earlier this year, the UK government collaborated with the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) in launching a £2.4 million investment in seafarer training, wellbeing and support – something that maritime minister Robert Courts tied to the government’s post-Covid-19 Maritime Recovery Route Map, since the pandemic put a significant strain on seafarers and drew public attention to the fact that even in ‘normal’ times crew are often expected to endure mental strain.
Mental health in focus. Image: Getty Images
Maritime charities are now able to apply for a share of this funding to create projects that benefit seafarer wellbeing. MNWB chief executive officer Stuart Rivers welcomed the move: ‘This significant investment in the maritime charity sector is both timely and extremely welcome. The maritime charities sector has been supporting seafarers through multiple crises over the past two years, despite the difficult fundraising conditions. The Department for Transport’s funding will provide a real boost to seafarers’ welfare and enable improvements in skills and diversity for the wider sector.’
MAIB involvement
As the UK body which is responsible for investigating maritime incidents, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) was keen to communicate key messages during Maritime Safety Week.
‘Maritime Safety Week 2022 an important moment when the marine industry comes together to focus on how we can collectively continue to improve safety across the sector,’ said MAIB chief inspector Andrew Moll. For that reason, the MAIB took the week as an opportunity to write about current key safety topics: the dangers of work onboard fishing vessels; mooring deck safety; pilot ladders; and CO2 fire extinguishing system blockages that could prevent seafarers from extinguishing an engine room blaze.
During the year, the branch raised 1,530 reports of marine accidents and commenced 22 investigations, 14 of which involved loss of life. This represented a significant increase on previous years – with 1,217 reports in 2020 and 1,090 in 2019, for example – which the MAIB attributes to a rise in leisure craft and small commercial craft notifications and its industry request to report sub-standard pilot ladders.
Pilot ladder safety essential. Getty Images
MAIB inspector of marine accidents Bill Evans said that the 200 reports received by MAIB regarding pilot ladders show that even though serious accidents have been rare, ‘the potential for injury and even loss of life clearly exists.’
Mr Evans added: ‘Marine pilots play a critical role in the safe operation of any harbour, where they guide almost every vessel in and out of the port. However, while the size and technological complexity of ships has increased, marine pilots still embark and disembark moving vessels by using a rope pilot ladder. The pilot transfer is a hazardous operation, so it is absolutely essential that these ladders are correctly rigged and their use properly supervised by the crew.’
During Maritime Safety Week, the MAIB also highlighted incidents where seafarers have been struck by mooring lines, sometimes resulting in serious injury or death. Sadly, such incidents continue to occur. Crew should therefore make sure the right equipment is used and kept in good condition.
Planning – including risk assessments, control measures and ensuring there are neither too few nor too many crew to conduct the operation – is important when trying to conduct mooring deck operations safely. Areas where mooring deck operations take place need to be kept tidy, and mooring lines should be closely monitored on all berths.
As with all dangerous operations, crew communication is of the utmost importance when working on mooring decks, because it has the potential to be extremely hazardous if people are not able to interact clearly.
A more positive outlook?
Seafarers may be relieved to hear, however, that there are some signs that a greater emphasis on safety in recent years has improved matters and undoubtably saved lives.
According to Allianz’s Shipping and Safety Review, the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year in the early 1990s but now this has dropped to between 50 and 75 per year, despite a significant growth in the number of vessels. Annual shipping losses have declined by 57% since 2012, while 2021 represents a significant improvement on the rolling 10-year loss average – something that Allianz attributes to ‘the increased focus on safety measures over time, such as regulation, improved ship design and technology and risk management advances’.
This is good news for seafarers as well as shipping companies. When the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) released its Annual Overview of Marine Casualties and Incidents 2021, it found a reduction of 18% in the total number of casualties compared with 2019 plus a reduction in the number of lives lost by 48% and the number of injured persons by 36% – an incredibly positive finding given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the shipping industry. This continued an ongoing positive trend since 2014.
As with the MAIB’s advice, EMSA’s report highlights for seafarers the most common causes of injury and death. Fishing vessels remain the most dangerous. The main causes of death were vessel collisions and slipping/falls (nearly 10% of which involved someone going overboard). It also shows when to be most vigilant: from 2014 to 2020, the departure phase was the safest segment of a voyage and the en route portion the most unsafe, but 41% of casualties occurred in port areas.
However, while many of the threats to life and limb onboard are traditional ones, seafarers will need to remain vigilant. In the 2022 Emsafe report, also from EMSA, researchers identified a number of growing issues that will require different solutions, including fire safety on ferries plus the carriage of battery-powered vehicles on ships, the increased use of potentially hazardous alternative bunker fuels and the novel risks of automation.
More than 560 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool, one of Britain’s largest container ports, will go on strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3 over pay, the Unite union said on Friday, adding to a summer of industrial unrest caused by soaring inflation.
“Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement.
“MDHC needs to think again, table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises,” she added, referring to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company.
The planned Liverpool strike follows an eight-day walkout last month by workers at Felixstowe, Britain’s largest container port, which clogged supply lines but fell short of causing widespread disruption in an industry already facing supply chain issues.
The strike will “severely disrupt” shipping and road transport in Liverpool and surrounding areas, Unite said.
The workers, comprising port operatives and maintenance engineers, are striking over a 7% pay offer they say amounts to an effective “pay cut” with inflation reaching double digits. They also say MDHC has failed to honor a 2021 pay deal.
MDHC parent Peel Ports said it had offered a pay package of 8.3% on top of a 4.5% pay increase last year and other improvements to shifts, sick pay and pensions.
“Our pay offer is well above the national average and represents a sustainable position for the business, taking into account stagnation in the container market, worldwide economic pressures, the conflict in Ukraine and global shipping disruption,” Peel Ports Chief Operating Officer David Huck said in a statement.
Oil has washed up on three of Gibraltar’s beaches thus far in the week since the OS 35 bulk carrier collided with the Adam LNG gas carrier, and came to rest on the seabed off Catalan Bay.
Concern remains about the ship breaking up, with salvors working round the clock to remove fuel and strip the vessel of its contents with an eye on potential bad weather coming soon.
“It is important that salvage teams take advantage of every available minute of the good weather for this and thereby avoid as much contamination as possible if the weather turns,” an update from the local government stated. The weather for the coming week around Gibraltar looks benign.
The ship is now surrounded by two booms. The secondary boom is proving effective at containing most of the sheen that escapes the first boom, the government stated, adding that some seepage from the secondary boom is inevitable.
The busy Mediterranean port has been closed for the last week as all resources are devoted to the stricken bulk carrier. Significant damage has been found to the starboard side of the OS 35 including a gash amidship below the waterline about 10 m by 4 m.
A full-scale investigation into the accident is now underway.
The Tuvalu-flagged, 35,363 dwt OS 35, loaded with steel bars, is owned by Greece’s Oldstone Management.
Oman Ship Management, which operates the Adam LNG gas carrier, which was hit by the bulk carrier, while at anchor, said its ship has now been inspected by class and a diving company, who confirmed the structural integrity of the vessel and its seaworthiness. The allision by the OS 35 caused only minor damage to the bulbous bow of the LNG carrier. This morning the gas carrier remains moored in Gibraltar, likely awaiting repairs.
New Zealand’s largest rail transport operator, KiwiRail, announced earlier this month that it has selected our MAN 32/44CR engine to generate power onboard its new hybrid-electric fleet arriving from 2025.
The new ferries will move people and freight between New Zealand’s two main islands and are part of the Inter-island Resilient Connection (iReX) programme.
iReX is a USD 1.45 billion investment which will see KiwiRail’s two new, rail-enabled ferries coming into service in 2025 and 2026, and the construction of new terminal precincts in Waitohi Picton and Kaiwharawhara Wellington.
“The MAN 32/44CR four-stroke engine has proven itself over approximately 3 million hours of operating experience,” said iReX Ships Programme Manager Massimo Soprano. “Manufactured in Germany, these engines are highly efficient and will support KiwiRail’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The new ferries, which are being built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea, will be more efficient and support KiwiRail’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. Elvis Ettenhofer, Head of Marine Four-stroke Asia Pacific at MAN Energy Solutions says the robust design of the MAN 32/44CR makes it well-suited for the demanding applications shuttling passengers and rail cars between New Zealand’s island groups.
He said: “I’m very happy to see it chosen for a project of national significance to New Zealanders. These engines feature our common rail injection system, well known for its flexibility, low levels of noise and vibration, and reduced smoke during engine start and operation, which are all important features for passenger ferries.”
Super yacht 007 with 5 passengers on board sank in Kolona Bay, Kythnos island, Greece, Aegean sea, on Sep 2. Yacht rested portside on bottom with half of hull remaining above waterline. What happened and why yacht sank, is yet unknown. 5 people on board were rescued.
Super yacht 007, GT 400, length 49 meters, built 2006, flag UK, guests 10, crew 5.
Turkey has finally banned the toxic aircraft carrier SÃO PAULO from entering its national waters for scrapping. For weeks, local environmental and labor rights groups, supported by international NGOs, have been protesting the voyage of the vessel from Brazil to Aliağa, demanding compliance with the Basel and Barcelona Conventions.
“From a marvelous public march with participation of thousands of people in Aliağa to theatrical demonstrations in the center of İzmir and public statements in front of official buildings, all people came together around the one single demand: to stop this toxic ship,” says Gokhan Ersoy, Project Development Officer at Greenpeace Mediterranean.
“Digital and conventional signature petitions reached more than 150.000 people within a month! The will and never-ending commitment of people forced policy makers to reconsider the mistake they had made.”
The decision by Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, City and Climate Change, comes after a Brazilian Federal District Court injunction to stop the departure of the ship was not enforced, and the Brazilian government and the buyer of the vessel failed to produce and submit a second Inventory of Hazardous Material (IHM) in order to properly identify the amounts of toxics onboard the ship.
Indeed, a second audit was deemed necessary by Turkey after environmental and human rights organizations challenged the validity of the first one.
“The extraordinary resistance against the export of this ship comes at a moment of intensive environmental damage to this part of the world because of the ‘open door’ waste policy of the Turkish government,” says Asli Odman of Istanbul Health and Safety Labour Watch.
“No environmental or social dumping should be allowed to be able to put the environmental standards on a firm ground. Thus, our struggle is not only a national one.”
Following the cancellation of Turkey’s consent to the transboundary movement, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) has issued a letter to Oceans Prime Offshore Agenciamento Maritimo Ltda, the exporting company working with the buyer SOK, to arrange the immediate return of the SÃO PAULO to Brazil.
However, to date, the company in control of the vessel has not yet provided information regarding the route change.
“Together with the Basel Action Network (BAN), BAN Asbestos France, Henri Pézerat Association (Work, Health, Environment), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), İstanbul Isig Meclisi, Greenpeace Mediterranean and Brazilian ABREA (Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto), the NGO Shipbreaking Platform is now calling for the governments of Morocco, Spain, and the UK to immediately halt the vessel should it attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar,” says Nicola Mulinaris of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.
“There is no doubt that we are witnessing a clear case of illegal traffic.”
The call for change is clear from the 188 young leaders from 27 different countries, who participated in the Future Maritime Leaders essay competition, organized by the Global Maritime Forum. Top issues in the essays are human safety, inclusion and diversity, health, and wellbeing, and securing future skills and competencies across the industry.
“It was very clear that young thought leaders in the maritime industry have strong visions of what it takes to attract a broad pool of talent. Their message is clear, the maritime industry needs to improve the overall approach to human sustainability, human wellbeing, and work conditions at sea,” says Chair of the selection committee, Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The top 30 competition participants and nine previous winners of the essay competition attended a virtual seminar in August 2022 to elaborate on their vision for the maritime industry. Their discussions resulted in a clear call on industry leaders to collectively improve on diversity and inclusion, flexibility, purpose and values, decent work conditions and safety, and overall better career opportunities spanning sea and shore.
“It gives me great hope for the future of the maritime sector to experience the passion and insightfulness from young thought leaders with strong aspirations for making human sustainability a strategic priority across the industry. We will continue to engage with the next generation of maritime leaders to amplify their voices and perspectives on how the maritime industry can improve,” says Susanne Justesen, Project Director, Human Sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum.
The essay competition aims to give students and young professionals aged 18-30 a voice in the debate about how the maritime industry can sustainably address maritime challenges and opportunities – and to give the industry a chance to listen. This year three winners from India, England, and the Philippines highlighted ways in which the maritime industry can significantly improve its approach to human sustainability.
Shaharaj Ahmed, a 22-year-old Economics Student at Yale-NUS College in Singapore, from the Philippines.
In his essay entitled: “Cultivating humane labor practices in the maritime industry,” Shararaj argues that enforcing humane labor practices is the maritime industry’s most critical human sustainability issue. Many seafarers work longer hours and receive lower pay than stipulated in regulations or contracts. Shaharaj proposes to address these problems through stronger enforcement as well as the use of digital technology such as blockchain to give seafarers control of their data.
Apurva Chaubal, a 24-year-old Associate Voyage Manager with Maersk Tankers from Mumbai, India.
In her essays, entitled: “Mental Health & Inclusion: Prioritizing the Need for Awareness & Training,” she discusses how seafaring can be restored as one of the most prestigious careers worldwide by addressing the concerns raised by existing seafarers, including long work hours, low pay, loneliness, and mental health, for example by providing tools such as a global mental health hotline.
James Helliwell, a 27-year-old Project Engineer with Shell in London.
In his essay, entitled “Future Fuels must be safe for seafarers,” he underlines the need to put human sustainability and seafarer safety at the forefront before introducing new zero emission fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen which bring new safety risks. James advocates for the urgent need to do more research on how people onboard ships can interact with these fuels safely.
The winners of the essay competition will participate in Global Maritime Forum’s Annual Summit on 22-23 September in New York, representing the generation of maritime talent. The high-level meeting will convene more than 200 leaders from across the maritime spectrum to identify ways in which maritime stakeholders can take action to create the future we want and need.
A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday dismissed the criminal indictment against a dive boat captain charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 people when the vessel caught fire and sank off the California coast three years ago.
The 75-foot (23-meter) Conception caught fire while most of those onboard were sleeping, killing 33 passengers and a crew member. It is considered one of California’s worst maritime disasters.
U.S. District Judge George Wu said in a ruling that the indictment, handed down on December 2020 against captain Jerry Nehl Boylan by a federal grand jury, must be thrown out because prosecutors had failed to accuse him of gross negligence.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, said prosecutors would seek authorization from the Department of Justice to appeal Wu’s ruling. An attorney for Boylan, 68, could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.
The indictment accused Boylan of causing the deaths through “misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties.”
The U.S. District Court grand jury cited three federal safety violations – failure to assign a night watch or roving patrol aboard the boat, to conduct sufficient crew training or to conduct adequate fire drills.
The victims had been sleeping below deck when the boat went up in flames while anchored near Santa Cruz Island, off the Santa Barbara coast, during a sport diving expedition. They included a family of five, a teacher and his daughter, a diving instructor and marine biologist.
The five surviving crew members, including Boylan, had been above deck in berths behind the wheelhouse and escaped by leaping overboard as the burning boat sank into the Pacific.
They told investigators that flames coming from the passenger quarters were too intense to save anyone trapped below. Coroners investigators determined the victims died of smoke inhalation.
Britain blocked the entry of the poisoned ship Nae Sao Paulo into the Strait of Gibraltar. It is not known what the route of the ship will be after the decision.
According to the news published by Brazil, the UK announced that the ship will not be able to enter the Strait of Gibraltar unless permission is obtained from the port authority for this transport.
According to online tracking, the aircraft carrier is currently located off the coast of Morocco, near Casablanca on its way to the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is not known what the route of the ship will be after the decision.
The ship, named Nae Sao Poulo, to which the people of Izmir reacted, started on 4 August from Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Port and proceeded towards Aliağa, the place where the ship was planned to be dismantled. While the ship was continuing its voyage, many circles, democratic groups, professional organizations, as well as political parties and municipalities in İzmir took a series of actions. After the demonstrations, marches and concerts, the government had to step back.
On August 26, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum announced that a dangerous inventory report was requested for the ship but no response was given and that the conditional dismantling permit was canceled and the ship would not be allowed to enter Turkish territorial waters. Despite the cancellation of the permission, it turned out that SÖK Shipping, which will carry out the dismantling of the ship, did not give the order to stop the ship and only decided to slow down the ship.
Following the developments, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment (IMABA) suspended the export permit of the ship. The Ministry wrote a letter to Ocean Prime, the partner of SÖK Shipping, which handles the import business. The letter called for an immediate return to Brazil, accusing the ship of sailing in illegal traffic. While the route of the ship, which was towed and brought to Turkey by the Alp Center ship, does not change, it continues towards the Strait of Gibraltar.
Experts state that one of the places where the ship can go if international law is applied is Motitania. In Noadibou, the country’s second largest city and also its economic capital, more than 100 abandoned shipwrecks are waiting to be removed off the coast of the White Cape. In the country rich in fish reserves, iron pile shipwrecks pose a danger to the marine ecosystem.
Experts state that there is an excessive amount of polychlorinated biphenyl toxic substance in the region, which is harmful to human health in the long term and whose use is prohibited according to the 2001 Stockholm Treaty. It is stated that the reason for this is the ships buried in deep waters and on the surface and left to rot.
After the nationalization of the fishing industry in the 1980s, the coastline, full of abandoned ships because it was uneconomical, almost resembles a large ship graveyard. Later, it is stated that the situation got out of control after the local rulers of the time allowed out-of-date ships to be abandoned here as well. The European Union Commission has allocated a budget of 28 million euros for the removal of the ships.
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