Environmentalists say the vessel, which is due to be dismantled in India, is carrying 900 tonnes of toxic waste.

The court on Monday accepted the recommendations of an expert committee that the ship be anchored at the Alang breaking yard in the state of Gujarat.

The committee said that the ship should also be allowed to anchor in Indian waters so that it could be inspected.

'Not safe'

Officials say the ship will be inspected by the high-level committee of technical experts on shipwrecking.

The court said that the committee would verify the amount of contaminants on board, and report their findings.

A decision would then be made over whether or not work on scrapping the vessel could be carried out safely.

Environmental groups are opposed to the ship's entry into India, saying it contains hundreds of tonnes of asbestos and other toxic material.

The former cruise liner, originally named the SS France, was banned from Bangladeshi breaking yards in February.

Campaigners say that the Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat does not have sufficient technology to handle such toxic waste safely, and that the health of workers there would be put at risk.

Accidents

A spokesman for the campaigning group, Ban Asbestos Network in India, said that the court order does not mean that permission has been given for the ship to be dismantled in India.

Gopal Krishnan told the BBC the court gave its order on humanitarian grounds because 13 Indians are part of the crew, and they would have faced a shortage of food and other essential materials.

He said that there was also concern that the 46,000 tonne cruise liner would have suffered damage in the sea during the monsoon.

But Mr Krishnan argued that the court had not taken the correct legal matters into account when making its decision.

He said the ship had violated international conventions because it was laden with more than 1,200 metric tonnes of asbestos.

In February, France recalled its decommissioned warship, Clemenceau, following widespread protests in India.

It, too, was due to be broken by ship breakers in Alang.

A report by Greenpeace in December said that thousands of ship-breaking industry workers in India, China and Pakistan had probably died over the past two decades because of accidents related to exposure to toxic waste.

[ 06-05-2006: Message edited by: jeremya ]

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Originally posted by viking109:
How come Star/NCL never get mentioned in any of these reports. They sould be getting some really really bad PR for just tossing aside one of the most important liners of the 20thcentury .
All the lies and crap they came out with when the ship left Bremerhaven ( illegally if the intention was scrapping which of course it was)

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They are not the owners of the ship, fore some time now. The ship is not there responsibility annymore.
The fate of ss Norway is sealed.

New Delhi, June 5
NGOs, fighting against the entry of the Norwegian ship “Blue Lady” into the Indian territorial waters, have termed the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the controversial ship to be anchored at the Alang port in Gujarat for inspection by the Indian authorities an “ironical commemoration of the World Environment Day.”

The apex court today allowed the ship to enter the Indian waters and its anchoring following an interim report by the Technical Committee that said that unless the ship was stationed, investigation about the presence of hazardous material on it was not possible.

The authorities would follow the apex court’s guidelines for dismantling of the ship after thorough investigation about the presence of toxic material in the ship and for that purpose its anchoring was necessary, a Bench, headed by Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat, said. The court also directed the Technical Committee to submit its final report in July after examination of the ship by experts.

Meanwhile, an additional affidavit was filed by applicants in the apex court today, saying that the ship was coming as illegal traffic. “We have also attached a letter by the Malaysian authorities that the ship was to go Dubai for repair. We are hopeful that when legal aspects are looked into the court will not allow it to be dismantled at Alang,” Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) activist Gopal Krishna told The Tribune.

Claiming that the ship under tow left Malaysia on May 5, 2005, after having fraudulently declared to port authorities there that it was destined for repairs in Dubai, Krishna said the ship made several attempts to reach scrap yards, including an aborted attempt last year when the Bangladesh Government prohibited the toxic ship from entering the country on health and environmental grounds.

“SS Blue Lady was lying in anchor in Malaysia since August 2005, but set sail declaredly for Dubai just as the monsoon was imminent. Rather than go to Dubai, it anchored out in the high seas to force the Indian authorities to allow the ship to come in on humanitarian grounds professedly to avoid the dangers of monsoon rough seas,” Krishna said.

The ship has been allowed to anchor in the India territorial waters on the basis of an interim report submitted by a Technical Committee chaired by Dr Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, MoEF. The NGOs have also alleged that the Technical Committee comprised “members from government agencies with known bias towards the ship-breaking industry and ex-Naval officers”.

“It has no representations from the public interest groups,” the NGO, Platform on Shipbreaking, comprising the Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), Greenpeace India and the Corporate Accountability Desk, said after the Supreme Court’s decision.

With it being the monsoon season what is the chances now that the ex ss Norway will either drag her anchor and go ashore or the cables will break and she is driven ashore by the weather.

I would say it a very good chance and might even get some human help !

Once aground they will have little choice but to allow her to be broken up where she is as to tow her off again is very unlikely due to her having a 35 foot draft hull which will be in the mud.

Anchor her off the Alang breakers yards for inspection in the monsoon season - I have heard some excuses !

This one takes some beating !

Why not tow her to a proper port in India where she could be berthed alongside a quay for inspection.

I smell a rat !
And there is plenty in India !

Neil ( Bob )

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PamM wrote:
In another thread we have already been advised that her draft is too deep for any suitable berth in Dubai, and the project was not therefore going ahead.

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Could it be possible that they would do some dredging?

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It is highly possible that more coastal areas can be dredged up to make room for the "Blue lady" seeing that in the last few months DUBAI has become a port of notice for cruise vessels - and why not speculate that the Blue Lady would find her way there...

It's better than all the rumors and gossip going around on this board as of late. Having some news is better than watching so many of you bicker and argue over what they think should happen and what is REALLY happening.

Dubai news for me comes directly from Dubai since I have friends who live and work in the city not far from the Palm Jumeria project sites and the Burj Al Arab.

[ 06-07-2006: Message edited by: jeremya ]

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Originally posted by jeremya:
It's better than all the rumors and gossip going around on this board as of late. Having some news is better than watching so many of you bicker and argue over what they think should happen and what is REALLY happening.

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As much as I also detest some of the bickering and argueing that goes on here, and as cliche as it may sound, it makes 'us' more like a family.

Personal opinions, views, and feelings are important to us as individuals, and as a group, and we like to share them, much to our dismay at times.

quote:

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Originally posted by Garnett:
SSMaritime is announcing some breaking news!

http://www.ssmaritime.com/newsupdates2.htm

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You've got to admit....after all the sniping on the Maya Sea proposal, it would be an ironic (and pleasant) end if his group ended up being the potential buyer.

http://www.tug-barge.com/p508.htm

Bottomfeeders?

Very unprofessional Marine Transportation Consultants!

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Cheers

[ 06-08-2006: Message edited by: bulbousbow ]

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:
"2,032 PASSENGER SHIP FOR SALE ARRIVED 120 MILES OFFSHORE ALANG JUNE 5TH LOOKS LIKE THE 'BOTTOMFEEDERS' WILL WIN AGAIN!"

Very unprofessional Marine Transportation Consultants!

******

Cheers

[ 06-08-2006: Message edited by: bulbousbow ]

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Well its nice to know at least that the broker cares about the ship.

[ 06-08-2006: Message edited by: J.S.S.Normandie ]