Pipavav (Gujarat): A former cruise liner anchored in Indian waters on Friday, despite protests by environmentalists, who say it contains toxic asbestos, which is hazardous to the health of the ship-breakers.
The vessel is berthed at Pipavav, 73 nautical miles off Alang, a sprawling ship breaking yard in Gujarat and port officials said that experts were checking the asbestos content.
The Supreme Court has allowed the scrapping of the 46,000-tonne Blue Lady, formerly known as S S Norway, provided it is declared safe by experts.
"Supreme Court has given its guidelines and the controversy will be over once the authorities are through with their inspection. The ship will proceed towards Alang after the inspection," one of the owners of the ship, Haresh Bhai Parmer said.
Greenpeace and other groups say that the ship contains more than 900 tonnes of asbestos and due to the lack of modern technology at yards like Alang, it is not safe for the workers to break it.
In a report last December, the group had said that thousands of workers in the ship-breaking industry in countries such as India, China and Pakistan had probably died over the past two decades in accidents or due to exposure to toxic waste.
In February, the French government recalled aircraft carrier Clemenceau, as it was en route for Alang after a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace, which said the ship carried toxic waste.
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