The Supreme Court on Monday gave the green signal for dismantling of a controversial ship, MV Oriental Nicety, earlier known as Exxon Valdez, and its recycling at Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat.
This follows submissions by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, the Shipping Ministry, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Gujarat Maritime Board that the ship did not have onboard any hazardous waste in loose form.
BASEL CONVENTION
The court, however, directed that if any such waste was found during the ship’s dismantling process, the ship owner must bear all the costs for its disposal through the proper process. Significantly, it also said that in future, vessels should not be dismantled in India in violation of the Basel Convention (on the control of trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal).
According to the Convention, which is an international treaty, it is mandatory to get prior informed consent of the host country and ensure prior decontamination of vessels in the country of origin in all cases of movement of hazardous wastes across national boundaries. The treaty also insists upon the importing country having an environmentally sound mechanism of safe waste disposal.
CONTROVERSY
Exxon Valdez had run into controversy when it spilt millions of gallons of oil in Alaska in 1989. The US Supreme Court had ordered $507.5 million in punitive damages to the victims.
The petition before the apex court was filed in April by environmental activist Mr Gopal Krishna, represented by advocate Mr Sanjay Parikh. The petitioner alleged that the ship itself was a waste and posed an environmental threat. Mr Parikh pointed out that “the authorities had not filed any affidavit or certificate before the apex court on the inventory of hazardous waste embedded in the ship”.
The ship dismantling and recycling yard at Alang, touted as the largest such facility in the world, provides direct employment to around 25,000 people and indirect employment to around four lakh people. It also helps generate around four million tonnes of recycled steel annually.