Editorial
A vessel with poisonous cargo
Punish those behind it
Following a report in the media government had put an embargo on entry of the vessel S. S. Norway into the waters of Bangladesh because of its allegedly carrying hazardous cargo of asbestos. The renowned international organization for protection of environment GREEN PEACE had sent messages all over the world urging not to allow this vessel for scraping anywhere in the world. In February, due to the combined action of Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard and the refusal by commercial banks to open LC, the ship could not cross into the maritime boundaries of Bangladesh. The buyer of the vessel apparently did not give up and had been working hard to find ways and means for its entry as a scrap. He allegedly altered the shipping documents in order to avoid the dragnet of law. He admitted to having discussed the matter earlier with senior officials of DG shipping in order to "find ways and means" for a smooth entry. It now looks as though importing of such hazardous vessels for scrap might have been going on for sometime. As early as last week, a Mongolian flag carrier M.V. Tim was imported by one Arefin Enterprise for breaking at its own yard. This ship, though declared as a passenger vessel, had enough quantity of hazardous asbestos. One wonders as to how the vessel importer was able to obtain the required NOC from the directorate of ocean-going vessels, introduced lately, for stopping the entry of such vessels? We are highly concerned at these developments. Let no one use our shores for dumping hazardous "wastes" which have the potential of seriously affecting our environment and the health of our people. We are not against any private entrepreneurship but under no circumstances should it be at such high costs to the country and the people. Government needs to take stern actions against concerned officials but for whose collusion such things couldn't have happened. There is hardly any monitoring or supervision of the various agencies involved in dealing with such matters by any designated authority in the government. This is a void we must fill in.
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