
	Search edie for

News Jobs Suppliers Products edie+ Training Awards Consultancy Events Tenders Networking TV Conference
About us Feedback Register Contact Advertise Editorial Finditforme	Publications Partners Links Discussions Quiz

Want up-to-date water industry news in your inbox?
Sign up free of charge to the leading water newsletter from Web4Water

Most read news | Latest Comments | Hot Jobs

ť New civil enforcement powers for green watch...
ť Winter Olympics get bronze for environmental...
ť 'Clipper in the clouds' concept attracts cor...
ť Salmon spawning grounds polluted by fishery ...
ť Benn: consign waste to the dustbin of history
ť America aims for energy independence

Edie Daily

Take full advantage of the speed of the web and subscribe to our free daily news updates

ť edie Ireland
ť Resource Centres ť Sustainabilitylive!

Site Sponsor

To see all site sponsors, click here

Latest Poll

US cuts green watchdogs funding is this a sign of things to come?

Supplier Links

ť Wastewater Treatment
ť Contaminated Land
ť Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
ť Sludge Handling and Treatment
ť Health & Safety
ť Spill Control & Clean-Up

21 September 2006

French nationals arrested as Ivory Coast clean-up begins

The clean-up of a toxic spill that left seven dead and thousands in need of medical treatment began this week in the Ivory Coast while two Frenchmen from the company which chartered the ship from which the waste originated were arrested as they tried to leave the country.

French clean-up specialists Seche sent around 25 operatives to the West African state to clear the toxic sludge from more than ten sites around the city of Abidjan and the lagoon around which it is built.

The operations is expected to take up to two weeks.

Meanwhile, two French executives from the Dutch-based commodity trader Trafigura which had chartered the ship that brought in the waste, the Probo Koala, were arrested and had their passports seized as they tried to leave the country.

They have been named by the company as director Claude Dauphin and manager for West Africa Jean Pierre Valentini and have been charged with pollution offences under Ivorian law.

A Nigerian and seven Ivorians have also been arrested in connection with the illegal dumping of the waste, which led to Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny sacking his government last week (see related story).

Trafigura has issued a statement saying it is shocked at the arrest of its employees who it claims were part of a humanitarian mission to help the authorities with the clean-up by providing technical information about the cargo.

The company programme was also donating medicines to help with the treatment of the victims and had offered to help with transportation and the cost of the disposal of the sludge.

Trafigura maintains it has not acted illegally and paid a local company to dispose of the waste properly.

"Trafigura has a stringent policy on the disposal of any waste, according to international conventions, and respects and adheres to all relevant requirements," read the statement.

"The slops from the Probo Koala were handed over to a certified local Abidjan slops disposal company, Compagnie Tommy, following Trafigura's communication to the authorities of the nature of the slops, and a written request that the material should be safely disposed of, according to country laws, and with all correct documentation.

"Compagnie Tommy confirmed that the slops would be correctly processed as chemical slops, with the consent of both the Ministry of Transport and the Port Authorities."

The World Health Organisation has sent experts to support Ivorian medical professionals, including a toxicologist and environmental specialist, and says the healthcare system is buckling under the strain.

"The overwhelming numbers of people seeking medical attention because of this chemical waste are severely disrupting medical services and have resulted in shortages of medicines," said a spokesperson for WHO.

"This has put a double burden on the already weak health system of Cote d'Ivoire. This crisis has shown that the country does not have the capacity to deal with such an emergency."

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is also investigating whether there has been a breech of the Basel Convention, a protocol which regulates the movement of hazardous waste across international borders, and is considering whether it might be able to help fund the clean-up, which is likely to cost in excess of US$13 million.

Sam Bond

Send to a friend

Printer friendly

Link to this page

Comment

Source: edie newsroom

This story is tagged as:

Click on a keyword to see more stories on that topic

Or view all news related to this story?

Related Media

ť Waste by Water

Mark Benstead director of regeneration at British Waterways talks about boosting the use of the nations waterways for recycling.

ť Huw Irranca-Davies MP - full speech

The full speech from Defra Minister Huw Irranca-Davies at the CMS Costal Futures 2010 conference.

ť Defra Minister Huw Irranca-Davies talks marine policy

Mr Irranca-Davies addressed industry experts and academics at the CMS Costal Futures 2010 event. Marine policy seeks to find a sustainable balance between environmental and economic concerns, he said.

ť See more

RSS

ť What is RSS?
ť List of RSS feeds
ť Social networking
ť News on your site?

News Jobs Suppliers Products edie+ Training Awards Consultancy Events Tenders Networking TV Conference
About us Feedback Register Contact Advertise Editorial Finditforme	Publications Partners Links Discussions Quiz

Channel Homepages