French 'toxic' ship may sail to North
Oct 28 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
A FRENCH Navy group has tabled an official bid to move a so-called toxic ship to the North East. Yesterday the Environment Agency confirmed it had received an application from the French Navy support service to move the Clemenceau to Able UK Limited’s facilities at Graythorp, Hartlepool, for dismantling and recovery.
The French Navy support service – Service de Soutien de la Flotte – is required to make the application under European Waste Shipment Regulations, which control the international movement of waste.
The ship, an aircraft carrier which was once the pride of the French Navy, has spent the past five years being moved around as officials tried to find a final resting place for the vessel, which contains 700 tonnes of asbestos.
President Jacques Chirac had to call the ship back from India two years ago after the furious Socialist opposition embarrassed him over the decision to send France’s waste abroad while “lecturing the world on the environment”.
Under WSR procedures, consent is needed from both the Environment Agency and the counterpart French regulator DRIRE Bretagne, before the former fleet flagship can be moved to Hartlepool.
This consent is one of a number of different permissions that must be in place before the movement can legally proceed.
The Environment Agency now has 30 days to make a decision on the application.
Agency environment manager Bob Pailor said: “If granted, a permit to import this waste ship is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. We determine each application in accordance with the requirements of the Waste Shipments Regulation, which includes consideration of whether the facility has the permits in place to complete environmentally sound recovery.”
Following a public consultation, the Environment Agency issued a waste management licence to Able on June 25, allowing the company to dismantle ships and marine structures such as oil rigs at its facility in Graythorp.
Able also has planning permission to use the Graythorp site for the construction, repair, refurbishment and decommissioning of all types of ships, vessels and marine structures.
Earlier this month campaign group the Friends of Hartlepool (FOH), acting through law firm Public Interest Lawyers, won an appeal hearing over the issue. Jean Kennedy, of FOH, said lawyers would argue that the decision of the Health and Safety Executive to allow the importation of the Clemenceau was unlawful.
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