BL reported that the Indian government is refusing permission to berth the controversial ship MV Platinum II in Gujarat for dismantling.

Mr Komal Kant Sharma the owner of Leela Ship Recycling Pvt Ltd said that they had offered to buy the decommissioned ship for USD 4.85 million and was awaiting various clearances before making the payment. He said that “I have now told my agent about my rethink on buying the ship and it is up to the present owner to decide on its fate. But it is a huge loss to the already ailing ship-breaking industry.”

Mr Sharma claimed that the Government had given in to the arm twisting tactics of NGOs who are resorting to commercial terrorism. He said that “We have been granted no opportunity to explain and not a single document exists to prove how the ship could be hazardous.”

According to the NGO Indian Platform on Ship breaking, which campaigned against Platinum II on the grounds that it contained 210 tonnes of polychlorinated biphenyls and 250 tonnes of asbestos as part of its construction, the Republic of Kiribati, where the ship was registered, clarified that the papers filed with India by the ship-owners were fake. This was allegedly done to facilitate its dismantling in India while keeping the countries concerned in the dark.

Last week, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, based on a report submitted by the technical experts team had directed Gujarat Maritime Board to disallow the beaching and breaking of Platinum II anchored off the Alang coastline, and its subsequent dismantling at the Alang yard.


(Sourced from Business Line)