Turkey bans ‘toxic’ aircraft carrier

For weeks, local environmental and labour rights groups, supported by international NGOs, have been protesting the voyage of the vessel from Brazil to Aliağa, demanding compliance with the Basel and Barcelona Conventions.

”From a marvelous public march with participation of thousands of people in Aliağa to theatrical demonstrations in the center of İzmir and public statements in front of official buildings, all people came together around the one single demand: to stop this toxic ship,” said Gokhan Ersoy, project development officer at Greenpeace Mediterranean.

“Digital and conventional signature petitions reached more than 150,000 people within a month. The will and never-ending commitment of people forced policy makers to reconsider the mistake they had made.”

Hazardous material

The decision to ban the vessel by Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, City and Climate Change, comes after a Federal District Court injunction to stop the departure of the ship was not enforced and the Brazilian government and the buyer of the vessel failed to produce and submit a second Inventory of Hazardous Material (IHM).

A second audit was deemed necessary by Turkey after environmental and human rights organisations challenged the validity of the first one.

Following the cancellation of Turkey’s consent to the transboundary movement, Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has issued a letter to Oceans Prime Offshore Agenciamento Maritimo Ltda, the exporting company working with the buyer SOK, to arrange the immediate return of the SÃO PAULO to Brazil.

However, to date, the company in control of the vessel has not yet provided information regarding the route change.

A number of organisations incuding Basel Action Network (BAN), BAN Asbestos France, Henri Pézerat Association (Work, Health, Environment), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), İstanbul Isig Meclisi, Greenpeace Mediterranean and Brazilian ABREA (Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto) and the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, are now calling for the governments of Morocco, Spain and the UK to immediately halt the vessel should it attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.