Environmentalist Groups Call for Return of “Toxic Cargo” on Two Boxships

A group of NGOs focusing on the environment issued a call for two underway boxships to be intercepted and forced to return containers loaded with toxic materials to their shipper. The groups allege that the containers currently aboard two vessels chartered to Maersk have more than 800 metric tons of hazardous waste. Maersk responds that while the claims are based on false information, it will share the concerns about the cargo with the authorities.

The issue is being raised by the U.S.-based Basel Action Network along with groundWork (Friends of the Earth South Africa) and Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH) and alleges that 160 suspect containers were loaded between the two ships. They contend the containers are loaded with toxic steel furnace dust collected from pollution control filters.

The groups highlight that the transportation of hazardous wastes is highly regulated under the UN’s Basel Convention. The international treaty requires approval of the exporting country, in this case Albania, as well as notification to in-transit countries, and the scheduled importing country. The groups contend that proper paperwork was not filed in Albania or the destination which they contend is Thailand as well as South Africa where the two containerships they said will stop for bunkering and supplies.

“If confirmed to be hazardous waste, by the provisions of the Basel Convention, the United Nations Treaty governing the trade in hazardous and other wastes, the containers could be seized and repatriated back to Albania,” the groups wrote in their joint statement.

One group of containers that they are targeting are loaded aboard the Maersk Campton (15,400 TEU), a 175,000 dwt vessel owned and managed by Zodiac Maritime and under charter to Maersk. The ship is registered in the UK. 

The groups say the ship has 100 containers with 327 tonnes of material that they believe is hazardous waste. The ship’s AIS currently shows as “out of range” while the groups said the vessel turned off its AIS and is overdue for a scheduled stop in Cape Town. The last AIS signal however shows it is due on August 11 in South Africa. The groups further contend the boxes are bound for Thailand although the Maersk tracking system shows the vessel is bound for Singapore.

"We demand that this renegade ship and the next one, be intercepted, the containers analyzed here to ensure no other Southern country or ocean be at risk of the dumping of this toxic waste,” said Musa Chamane, Waste Campaigner for groundWork, (Friends of the Earth South Africa). “If they are found to contain toxic waste, they must be returned directly to the sender at their own cost and never be allowed to remain in Africa or dumped in Thailand."

The second targeted vessel is a sister ship also under charter from Zodiac to Maersk, the Maersk Candor. It is currently rounding South Africa according to its AIS signal. It also shows a destination of Singapore. The groups allege it has 60 containers that should be inspected for toxic material. 

The groups point out that a similar shipment sent earlier this year to China was stopped after Chinese authorities found that the shipment contained more than eight percent toxic lead. They are calling on South Africa to stop the two current shipments if the vessels make calls in the country’s port so that the containers can be halted and returned to Albania at the cost of the shipper.

Maersk says that the claims are based on false information pointing out that all goods from shippers loaded on vessels are cleared by customs. In these cases, Maersk also notes that the vessels did not call in Albania and are not going to Thailand. However, it says it will cooperate as needed with the local authorities.