WRITTEN QUESTION E-2185/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(30 June 2003)

Subject: Dismantling of old ships under hazardous conditions using underpaid labour, with associated releases of toxic material, on the coasts of South Asia

1. Is the Commission aware that the dismantling of old ships is increasingly being relocated to the coasts of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, where the operations are often carried out in an amateurish fashion without protection of labourers, producing not only 95 % steel but also 5 % toxic substances, including asbestos and PCBs and in many cases also oil and gas residues?

2. Is the Commission aware that as a result of such methods beaches are being irreparably polluted, the traditional sources of livelihood for farmers and fishermen in the vicinity of the scrapyards are being permanently destroyed and many of the workers, who earn only EUR 2 per day, become victims of accidents, some of them fatal?

3. Does the Commission anticipate a further increase in this hazardous method of dismantling ships, as many single-hulled tankers will be decommissioned over the next years and the extremely low wages and lack of safety precautions will induce many businesses to take their rustbuckets to the coasts of South Asia?

4. Can the Commission confirm that the current practices contravene the existing legislation, namely the Basle Convention, which is intended to prevent exports of toxic waste?

5. Will the Commission, inter alia on the occasion of the meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in July 2003, promote measures to genuinely help put an end to these exports of toxic materials and waste as soon as possible?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-2185/03 and E-2290/03given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 2003)

The Commission is aware of and very concerned about the ongoing and increasing export of end-of-life ships to Asia and the conditions under which the dismantling of such ships is carried out, and it agrees that such exports should be dealt with under international rules.

Concerning the issue of single hull oil tankers, the Commission has already indicated, during the discussion of the proposal at the Regional Policy, Transport and tourism (RETT) Committee, its intention to carry out a study about the impact on the ship recycling industry of the accelerated phasing out of single hull tankers.

As pointed out the Basel Convention regulates the export of hazardous waste at international level. The Basel Convention, as amended, is implemented into Community law through Waste Shipment Regulation (EEC) No 259/93(1). That Regulation clearly bans the export of hazardous waste like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) oils, heavy oils and tributyltin (TBT) paints from the Community to non-Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

In the context of the International Maritime Organisation, the Community and its Member States are committed to working towards the finalisation of a guideline on the issue, that takes full account of Community legislation, the Basel Convention and its amendments as well as its guidelines on the dismantling of ships.

The Commission attaches a great importance to the issue and considers it imperative that the framework which the Basel Convention and the Waste Shipment Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 provide is respected and reinforced by all stakeholders. The Commission has therefore urged Member States to give priority to the issue internationally, to deal with all the elements involved whether they relate to the environment, health or safety and whether they are of a technical or legal nature in a comprehensive way, and to ensure that the Basel Convention and the Waste Shipment Regulation are respected.

Furthermore, the Community and its Member States are committed to the mainstreaming of the environmental, health and safety conditions in their support to developing countries. In this respect information exchange, shared responsibility and capacity building are considered key to ensuring sound management of waste and for improving maritime transport safety.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 259/1993 of 1 February 1993 on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community, OJ L 30, 6.2.1993.