Greenpeace position on the US ghost ships

There has recently been considerable attention paid to the issue of scrapping redundant US naval vessels in the UK. The Greenpeace view is the following:

1. The UK should not import vessels for scrapping from other countries which have the technical ability to deal with their own vessels at high environmental standards. In the case of the US there is clearly the ability to scrap vessels in the country of origin to a high standard and this should be done. No further US vessels should be sent to the UK for scrapping.

2. Developed countries should not export their vessels to other countries for scrapping unless they have been thoroughly decontaminated and will be broken to a high environmental standard. It is particularly hypocritical for the UK Government to prevent the breaking of the so-called 'Ghost Ships' in the UK because of the lack of licences and safe dismantling facilities while simultaneously exporting Royal Naval vessels to yards abroad where they will be broken at lower environmental standards than in Britain.

3. With regard to the four US naval vessels currently moored at Hartlepool, it is still unclear whether the best environmental option is to scrap them in the UK (not necessarily in Hartlepool) or send them back across the Atlantic. Greenpeace believes that the Government should ascertain the best option using an open and transparent process and the act accordingly.