Blue Lady’s illegal toxic oil sale under scanner

Supreme Court heard the Blue Lady (SS Norway) matter on 26 July. The court took notice of illegal sale of ship’s oil. It asked the Gujarat Pollution Control Board to submit its affidavit within one week.

In the last order, the petitioner’s lawyer had pointed out that the oil lying on the ship is safer than its presence on the shore since taking it out would create complications due to prevalent illegal trade of waste oil etc. But the lawyer appearing on behalf of Priya Blue Industries Ltd who is seeking to dismantle the ship had argued that due to monsoons there is a danger of contamination of sea due to oil spillage. Therefore, it was necessary to shift the oil from the ship.

Considering latter’s submission, the bench of Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia ordered, “Without claiming any equities, the Ship Breaking Unit shall be permitted to remove oil from the ship under the supervision and guidance of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Gujarat Maritime Board. It shall be ensured by these two authorities that the activity does not result in any environmental pollution because of spilling of oil. The authorities concerned shall record the details about the weight of oil to be removed from the ship.”

Unfortunately, what was apprehended came true since the oil, which was removed from the ship, has been sold in the market without the court’s permission. It is now for the GPCB and Gujarat Maritime Board to explain as to why oil and toxic waste oil were disposed of in tearing hurry.

Including waste oil, “The import of 29 items has already been prohibited under Schedule – 8 of the Hazardous Waste Rules as amended in May, 2003”, as per specific Supreme Court order. The order noted, “Basel Convention has banned 76 items.” Basel Convention is an UN treaty on movement of hazardous wastes. It further clarified that “It is implicit that if more items are banned, the corresponding Notification shall be issued by the Central Government under Section 11 of the Customs Act.” The HW Rules allow import of certain items subject to fulfillment of conditions. The court did observe that “it appears that unscrupulous traders in the garb of importing used oil or furnace oil, in fact, import waste oil which is a banned item.”

There has been no compliance of these directions in the case of Blue Lady and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has not even been intimated about the same. Supreme Court in the matter of Ship Breaking dealing with “Decontamination of ships before they are exported to India for breaking”, has specifically directed that “Before a ship arrives at port, it should have proper consent from the authority concerned or the State Maritime Board, stating that it does not contain any hazardous waste or radioactive substances. AERB should be consulted in the matter in appropriate cases.” The regulatory authority of AERB is derived from the rules and notifications promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986. A letter has been sent to the Chairman, AERB seeking his intervention to ascertain the hazards and the ensure compliance with Atomic Radiation Protection Rules, 2004 and the court order.

Meanwhile reports of new evidence of huge radioactive material named Americium 241 has come to light. On exposure this radioactive material is known to concentrate in the bone, liver and muscle and can expose surrounding tissues to radiation, thereby increasing the risk of cancer even as Environment Secretary headed Committee of Technical Experts (CTE) has opined that “the presence of radioactive materials in a passenger ship like “Blue Lady is quite unlikely.” In a letter to CTE, ship’s former Project Manager Tom Haugan has said that there is Americium 241 at 5500 detection points on Blue Lady.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Blue Lady in News (July 2007)
1. 'Radioactive material aboard Blue Lady'
Times of India, India - 29 Jul 2007
NEW DELHI: New evidence emerged on Wednesday that the controversial 'Blue Lady' ship, sent to India for dismantling, might have radioactive material on ...

2. NGO wants Gujarat Govt to explain 'hurried sale' of Blue Lady oil
NewKerala.com, UNI India - 30 Jul 2007
The oil has been sold in the market without the Supreme Court's permission, it said here, pointing out that the apex Court, which heard the Blue Lady (SS ...

3. Platform on Shipbreaking challenges clean chit to 'Blue lady'
Times of India, India - 25 Jul 2007
... a committee of technical experts (CTE), constituted by the Supreme Court, for the entry of Norwegian ship Blue Lady into the Indian territorial waters. ...

4. Blue Lady, a virtual death hole for workers
Merinews, India - 26 Jul 2007
CITING A LETTER written by former Project Manager of ‘Blue Lady’, the Indian Platform on Ship Breaking, a consortium of Labour and Trade unions as well as ...

5. Blue Lady: SC seeks NGO response on panel report
Ahmedabad Newsline, Indian Express - 26 Jul 2007
The apex court had made it clear that dismantling of the controversial ship, popularly known as ‘Blue Lady,’ will not take place without its clearance. ...

6. Evidence of Radioactive Material on Blue Lady
OneWorld.net, UK - 26 Jul 2007
New evidence submitted by the former project manager of SS Norway (Blue Lady) reveals that the toxic ship-for-scrap renamed Blue Lady and currently anchored ...
7. Activists oppose hazardous ship's Alang plan
NewKerala.com, India - 25 Jul 2007
New Delhi, July 25: Trade unions and NGOs Wednesday opposed a move to break the Norwegian ship Blue Lady at the Alang shipyard in Gujarat saying it ...
8. Activists oppose hazardous ship's Alang plan
India PRwire (Press Release), India - 25 Jul 2007
The Blue Lady, a cruise liner formerly known as SS Norway, was reported to be 4000 metres off Alang Wednesday evening. All India Trade Union Congress ...
9. Activists oppose hazardous ship's Alang plan
Monsters and Critics.com, UK - 25 Jul 2007
The Supreme Court is to hear the trade unions' plea against allowing Blue Lady an entry at Alang Thursday. Ganguly said all ships sent to Alang, ...
10. Platform on Shipbreaking challenges clean chit to 'Blue lady'
Economic Times, India - 25 Jul 2007
... a committee of technical experts (CTE), constituted by the Supreme Court, for the entry of Norweigian ship Blue Lady into the Indian territorial waters. ...
11. Ship`s dismantling, SC seeks NGO`S response on panel`s report
Zee News, India - 26 Jul 2007
... committee's recommendations to allow dismantling of the controversial toxic-laden Norwegian ship "blue lady" anchored at the Alang coast in Gujarat. ...
12. Blue Lady Mint 26 Jul 2007
Platform on Shipbreaking, a consortium of labour and trade unions, today questioned the clean chit given by a committee of technical experts (CTE), constituted by the Supreme Court alleging that permitting the ship to dock at Indian coast would prove disastrous as the vessel has huge contents of radioactive material.
13. Blue Lady makes environmentalists see red DNA
14. Activists oppose hazardous ship's Alang plan
in.news.yahoo.com/070725/

The Blue Lady, a cruise liner formerly known as SS Norway, was reported to be 4000 metres off Alang Wednesday evening. ...
15. Platform on Shipbreaking challenges clean chit to 'Blue lady'
The former project manager of SS Norway (Blue Lady) has submitted an evidence ... they are exported to India for breaking", has specifically directed that ...
us.oneworld.net/article/view/151684 - 34k - 31 Jul 2007
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