NGOs warn of illegal waste export from Europe to Asia

A call has been put out by environmental non-governmental organisation, Basel Action Network (BAN), for the seizure and return of two container ships suspected of illegally transporting hazardous waste.

The alarm was raised after the MAERSK CAMPTON switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) GPS beacon on 31 July and failed to dock in Cape Town, South Africa on 1 August. The ship, which departed from Albania with the intended destination of Thailand, is reported to be carrying an estimated 327 tonnes of what BAN suspects to be toxic steel furnace dust collected from pollution control filters.

Jim Buckett, BAN Executive Director, commented: “We can imagine no other reason for this behaviour other than an effort by MAERSK, to avoid arrest or delays due to the likelihood of their ship being involved in trafficking in hazardous waste."

BAN has also flagged a second ship, the MAERSK CANDOR, carrying another 60 containers, which is currently on a similar route as the CAMPTON. The estimated total of hazardous waste on board both ships is 816 metric tonnes.

Authorities urged to block vessels

BAN has confirmed that neither Albania nor Thailand was informed about the export. The transportation of hazardous waste without the approval of both the exporting and importing countries is illegal under the Basel Convention, an international treaty restricting the movement of harmful waste between nations.

Authorities in South Africa and Southeast Asia have been urged to intercept the two ships by BAN and other environmental organisations including groundWork, Friends of the Earth in South Africa and EARTH in Thailand.

Musa Chamane, Waste Campaigner for groundWork, said: “We demand that this renegade ship and the next one, be intercepted, the containers analysed here to ensure no other Southern country or ocean be at risk of the dumping of this toxic waste. If they are found to contain toxic waste, they must be returned directly to the sender at their own cost and never be allowed to remain in Africa or dumped in Thailand."

The shipping line, MAERSK, has also been called upon to halt the shipments and return the ships to Albania.

Jim Buckett added: "We call on MAERSK to cooperate immediately in assisting the international community in preventing illegal dumping of hazardous wastes.”

Potential risks in Thailand

BAN suggests that if the shipping containers reach Thailand, the toxic dust could be spread on agricultural fields or otherwise dumped in the country.

According to EARTH, local communities have filed around 300 complaints regarding illegal waste dumping in the past five years. The adverse effects of the waste have had severe implications for the health and wellbeing of the neighbouring residents.

Ms. Penchom Saetang, EARTH’s Director, said: “Under no circumstances will Thailand accept being the dumping ground for the rest of the world's toxic industrial waste, electronic wastes or plastic wastes.

“We call on our government and the government of South Africa to take the necessary actions to stop this offensive trade dead in its tracks."