Turkish Fishermen Oppose Toxic Ship

August 3, 2006 - Members of Turkey’s fishing industry say they will appeal to the country’s highest court in order to fight a decision made by the Minister of Environment to allow an asbestos-laden ship to be dismantled at a port near Izmir.

The Marmara Union of Fisheries Cooperatives and Nature Warriors environmentalist group say the asbestos-covered Mexican ship Otopan, which has sat at a port in Amsterdam for more than seven years, will harm the fishing industry in Turkey, reports the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

The article also confirms that Turkey`s Environment and Forestry Ministry gave its permission for the ship to be dismantled at a private shipyard in the refining town of Aliaga, 40 miles north of Izmir.  Workers at the shipyard are looking forward to the opportunity to earn income from the dismantling of the ship.

However, those who make their living as fishermen are outraged and note that dismantling asbestos-covered ships is forbidden worldwide.  “Turkey is not a dumping ground,” said Ali Guney, chairman of the Istanbul Union of Fisheries Cooperatives.  “The Mediterranean was polluted by the waste of chrome factories. Will the Aegean and Marmara seas face the same fate?”