Post by Taxigirl on Nov 12, 2003 10:11:35 GMT
Two ageing US navy ships at the centre of an environmental and legal struggle are due to arrive in Hartlepool.
The contaminated ships have been towed across the Atlantic for dismantling and could reach the Tees by noon.
The UK Government has said they can be stored temporarily on Teesside, but should be sent back to the US.
Able UK, the firm planning to wreck the so-called ghost ships, must convince a court it has the correct permissions. Campaigners are planning a vigil.
Court wrangle
Neil Marley, a member of the local environmental group Impact, said he planned to light a bonfire, and threatened to "moon" the ships.
"We have to make our stand and I think there will be plenty of people there," he said.
The ships are not carrying any cargo, but the problem is in their own ageing fabric.
They were built when asbestos was widely used to line boilers, for example, and toxic chemicals were used in their wires.
The first ship is due to be brought up the estuary to the quay at about lunchtime.
The second will be brought into dock 24 hours later in daylight.
Last Wednesday, the High Court blocked any work on the ships after campaigners brought an action against Able UK.
Environmental groups argued that the firm did not have the requisite licences and permissions to do the work, and warned of an environmental disaster.
The High Court ruling was followed two days later by a decision from Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett to return the ships to the US on the grounds of "international rules and community law".
However, the ships would be allowed to remain in the UK over winter until it was safe to make the return journey.
The case is due to be thrashed out in the courts next month.
'Fiasco'
Able UK managing director Peter Stephenson said he was "comfortable" his legal team would win.
He said his facilities to decommission the ships were more than capable of doing the job safely.
And he described the confusion over the whole deal as a "fiasco", with his company first having the backing of the Environment Agency and Hartlepool Council, and then seeing it withdrawn.
The MP for Hartlepool, Peter Mandelson, has accused campaigners of scaremongering.
"They have alarmed and whipped up public opinion in Hartlepool and many fears amongst my constituents, and I think that is an irresponsible thing to do," he said.
Concerns about the toxicity of the ships were unfounded, he added.
"Like all ships, they contain some hazardous materials, but they are not inherently dangerous and they are not carrying any toxic cargo."
Two other such ships - part of a flotilla of 13 originally intended to be scrapped on Teeside - are also being towed across the Atlantic.
They are expected to arrive in about a week's time, even though Mrs Beckett said the second two vessels should turn around.
Oils and oily ballast water could cause damage to the marine environment.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen but is denser than water and non-soluble.
PCBs have been called "probable carcinogens" and have been linked with neurological and developmental problems in humans.
Mercury, lead, chromium and cadmium are highly toxic metals which accumulate in the body.