NEW DELHI, June 6 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of India has allowed the asbestos-laden Norwegian ship SS Blue Lady to enter Alang port for anchorage following clearance from the government.
The massive ship, which allegedly contains about 1,200 tons of asbestos, has been at sea for months after Bangladesh refused its entry, the Hindustan Times reported Tuesday.
An Indian government committee informed the Supreme Court that the ship had 13 Indian crew members who were running short of food, recommending permission for anchorage on humanitarian grounds. The court accepted the plea.
A news report said the committee, headed by environment secretary Prodipto Gosh, also submitted a memorandum and 10-page report to a ship breaking company based in western Alang. A verdict on the ship's fate is expected to be issued by the first week of July.
The court's decision has infuriated several environmental groups. The Ban Asbestos Network India said that the court had been misled.
"The ship under tow left Malaysia on May 5, 2005 after declaring to port authorities that it was destined to Dubai for repairs," said Gopal Krishna of the Ban Asbestos Network.
He said the SS Blue Lady had made several attempts to reach scrap yards, including an aborted attempt late last year when the Bangladesh government prohibited it from entering the country on health and environmental grounds.
"The Blue Lady does not have the mandated... documents from the country of export that are required for hazardous waste shipments. Neither does it have a complete inventory of the toxic waste on board, although the ship breaker has admitted that the ship contains asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyis, a deadly neurotoxin," the environmental group said.
