Environmentalists and local campaigners fear asbestos contained onboard the warship could harm the environment
Posted on 02/08/2009 5:05:35 PM PST by bruinbirdman
A former French aircraft carrier containing 700 tonnes of contaminated materials has docked in Britain.
The ship, which used to be known as the Clemenceau, completed its journey from Brest, in France, to join the ranks of "ghost ships" gathered at Graythorp, in Teesside.
Environmentalists and local campaigners fear asbestos contained onboard the warship could harm the environment
At 738ft (225m) long and 213ft (65m high), the 32,780-tonne vessel will become the largest ship to be recycled in Europe and will bring jobs to the area, but the project has faced criticism from environmental campaigners.
Seven other decommissioned vessels, known as "ghost ships" are already on site at the Teesside Reclamation and Recycling Centre (TERRC) near Hartlepool, which is owned by ship recycling company Able UK.
The company, which won a contract reported to be worth up to 4 million euros (£3.5 million) to scrap the ship, had to apply for an exemption from the Health and Safety Executive before the vessel can be dismantled.
Able UK's chief executive Peter Stephenson said it was "crucially important" for the North East's economy that the work, which will bring over 200 jobs to Teesside, goes ahead.
But environmentalists and local campaigners fear asbestos contained onboard the warship could harm the environment and affect the health of those employed to dismantle the vessel.
Iris Ryder, a member of Friends of Hartlepool and Green party candidate in Europe, said the "floating time bomb" contained damaging toxins.
She said: "A lot of people do not want Hartlepool turned into a dumping ground for the rest of the world."
But Mr Stephenson said: "At a time when there are so many economic problems facing the world - and especially a region such as the North East of England - I think it
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
asbestos is a scam
What are all those Lawyers doing on the dock, greeting this ship? LOL!
I dunno, al.
My husband’s father died of mesotheleoma. It’s like being suffocated. Daily. And it never stops. You never take a full breath, which most of us take for granted.
He was in the Navy on a similar type of ship and also worked for Oscar Mayer, a factory steeped in the stuff...before they found out it wasn’t good for us to be around.
MIL never saw a dime, so she’s no grifter, but inhaling tiny shards of glass into the lungs can’t be good for any living thing.
I love liberal hysteria. Everything kills and everything dies, but their comments are over the top. Rachel Carson taught them well.
You know... when your ship's name is close to that of an STD ...
Which part of it is a scam?
“asbestos is a scam”
That was an ignorant comment. Do a little research.
Was he a smoker? It's generally (but not always) a combination of asbestos and cigarettes. Radiation appears to have played a role in few cases, as well.
“asbestos is a scam”
I wish you were correct. but wishes don’t make it true.
The part of it that is forcing employers into paying millions of dollars in law suit settlements due to the use of a material that no one had a clue was carcinogenic at the time it was first implemented in construction........
I believe this ship can be safely scrapped without undo hazard to workers or the public if appropriate precautions are followed.
Nope. Didn’t smoke. Just in the wrong places at the wrong times, I guess.
Thirty-seven is WAY too young to die and leave your wife with four boys under the age of six. :(
But Life got better for them all. MIL later re-married a wonderful man (my FIL) who raised Husband and his siblings as his own...along with HIS six kids. He was widowed too, with SIX kids under twelve.
God will provide. :)
Meso is a nasty thing. Thanks for the info on that one.
“”to be recycled in Europe and will bring jobs to the area,””
Now there’s a thought for the stimulus package! Can we dismantle and recyle democrats and put the country to work! I am going to run out of !!!!! before the year is out.
“I believe this ship can be safely scrapped without undo hazard to workers or the public if appropriate precautions are followed.”
I do, too. And all of those lawyers on the dock are gonna be really, really sad, LOL!
Remember what a chore it used to be to properly insulate our homes? You weren’t supposed to breathe around fiberglass insulation back then; had to wear a mask. Same thing when we repaired our fiberglass kayak.
And yet they packaged the stuff for Christmas to look like drifts of snow and called it ‘spun glass!’ LOL!
Irwin Mainway would be proud. (Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtain Saturday Night Live skit from long ago...)
We’re all ‘victims’ of SOMETHING in the end... ;)
We have toxic waste laws in this country ;-)
My understanding is that asbestos was a known medical risk dating back to ancient Greece. That it is a protection against fire is a good thing and a true benefit, but if the government and asbestos producers conspired to hide its downside shouldn’t people be able to sue for just compensation.
Now, I agree with you that much of the legislation and most of the lawsuits work to enrich lawyers. Most of the funds were wasted on false or shaky claims, but the disease is real.
I hate scams, most class action lawsuits, and waste, along with liberal chicken-littles and Watermelons, but you have to separate the chaff from the wheat.
Thinking is what separates us from the lower primates and liberals. That and our divine origin. :-)
An "asbestos time bomb" might tick for 30 years before disease sets in.
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