French Toxic Ship Docks in England

According to CNN, a French Naval vessel loaded with toxic material is going to dock in Northeast England for recycling.  The ship, active for the French Navy for over 40 years, contains "high levels of asbestos and other hazardous materials".  The ship has been at sea for years trying to find a location to be recycled at.  Originally it was turned away by Turkey and Greece.  Next, plans were implemented to turn the vessel into an artificial reef.  The plans were rejected based on environmental reasons.  The French then looked to dispose of it in India in 2006.  Greenpeace activists boarded the ship and hung flags on the masts saying, "asbestos carrier: stay out of India".  The French didn't have anywhere else to go until the British decided to take it.  The decommissioning of the vessel should create 200 jobs in the region.

The interesting thing about this article is the success that Greenpeace had in altering the French government's plans for the ship.  The issue of dumping hazardous materials is something that doesn't get addressed enough, with an NGO having to lead the charge to prevent France from taking questionable actions in waste removal.  I'm glad that this story had a happy ending, but some sort of international oversight is necessary.