Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted dismantling of Norwegian ship Blue Lady, formerly known as the S S Norway, reportedly containing toxic material and anchored along the coast of Alang in Gujarat.
A bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia granted permission for dismantling the ship on the basis of the report submitted by the technical experts committee appointed by it.
Blue Lady is estimated to be carrying a cargo of 46,000 tonnes, mostly toxic asbestos and radioactive material.
In November, 2006, Sanjay Mehta of Priya Blue Industries Private Ltd based inside the Sosiya ship-breaking yard, Bhavnagar, had filed an application in the court seeking permission for dismantling the Blue Lady after anchoring permission was granted to Rajeev Reniwal of the Hariyana Ship Demolitions Pvt Ltd on humanitarian grounds in June 2006.
The ship, anchored at Gujarat’s Pipavav port, 73 nautical miles off Alang, has been synonymous with controversy for over a year now.
Villagers in Gujarat's Bhavnagar District have argued that the dismantling of the ship will have a hazardous impact on 12 villages located near the Alang ship-breaking yard.
Taking recourse to Rule 12 (i) of the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 that bans the import of asbestos, Gohil, the head of the Sosiya Village Council opined that exposure to asbestos could result in a loss of livelihood because of the contamination of the aquatic life in the sea.
According to Greenpeace and other environmental groups, the ship contains over 900 tonnes of asbestos.
In February last year, the French government recalled the former aircraft carrier Clemenceau, which had been heading for Alang, after a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace, which said the ship carried toxic waste.
Greenpeace says Indian shipyards like Alang lack new technology to safely handle toxic waste in ships they scrap.
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