The Ievoli Sun is spitting out its poison. An editorial in the paper says that the owners of the cargo on board the vessel are the rich oil companies Shell and Exxon. The paper tells us that the Anglo-Dutch concern, Shell, made 8.6 billion dollars last year and the US company, Exxon, 7.5 billion dollars in the first six months of this year. It stresses that the boat did have a safety certificate, yet the companies seek to transport their goods with an eye on cheap costs. The editorial goes on to say that there seems to be almost a disdain for human life as also seen in the scandal surrounding BSE or mad cow disease.
People always seem expendable when it comes to profits.
He says that the tanker is not a trashcan as has been presented by the French authorities. He says his boat belongs to a new generation of vessels specially designed to transport chemical products. It was, he says, built with a double hull which aids security. The fact that a boat went down with 6,000 tonnes of chemicals, less than a year after the petrol tanker, Erika sank, does show the need for more safeguards. An editorial in the paper says that this trip shows that the Jospin plan for limited self-rule on the island is in fact an initiative for the entire government.