GREEN campaign group Basel Action Network (BAN) says it thinks two US-flag ships sold by a US company will be scrapped and says that would mean the US would be breaching international law.

BAN says one of the ships, the 1979-built, 21,050 dwt ro-ro ex-Pvt
James Anderson Jr, sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday (25
August) a the St Kitts & Nevis Anders. The group says it expects
the other vessels, the ex-1St Lt Alex Bonnyman, to also leave Norfolk
very soon.

BAN claims the export “marks the first time the US government has
allowed a US flagged ship in the service of the government to be sent
to South Asian beaches since the Clinton Administration called for a
moratorium on such exports in 1998

BAN alleges the sale of the ships could break the Jones Act, regarding
US-flagged ships, and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which
forbids the export or the “distribution in commerce” polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). BAN says there are high concentrations of PCBs on the
ships.

The group says it sent a series of letters to the EPA and MARAD warning
them of the “imminent and likely violations of US laws and called
specifically upon the EPA to at least require the ships to be tested
for PCBs prior to export”. “But,” BAN says, “to the great surprise of
the environmental watchdog organization, that had worked with the EPA
in numerous instances in the past, the Obama administration refused to
act.”

“This is really shocking. All through the Bush Administration the EPA
took action every time we warned them of a pending TSCA violation and
their record of enforcement was strong. Now we have elected an
environmental president and his administration for the first time in
ten years is willing to ignore the law and dump toxic waste onboard US
flagged ships on developing countries,” said Jim Puckett, BAN’s
executive director.

Source: Maritime Global Net

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