Permalink: https://media.greenpeace.org/archive/Action-against-Toxic-Tanker-Tulip-in-Amsterdam-27MZIFL86QZ1.htmlConceptually similarAction against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamGP01MITCompleted★★★★Action against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamGP01MIUCompleted★★★★Action against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamGP01MIVCompleted★★★★Action against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamGP01MIWCompleted★★★★Projection Action on Tanker in AmsterdamGP01MIOCompleted★★★★Projection Action on Tanker in AmsterdamGP01MIPCompleted★★★★Projection Action on Tanker in AmsterdamGP01MIQCompleted★★★★Projection Action on Tanker in AmsterdamGP01MIRCompleted★★★★Action against Asbestos ship Otapan l in AmsterdamGP01LXXCompleted★★★★View AllGP01MIXAction against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamTonight the 'Tulip', a ship destined for scrapping, will depart from the Port of Amsterdam. The ship contains toxic substances like asbestos and heavy metals. Greenpeace will follow the ship with inflatables to the IJmuiden docks. After that Greenpeace will continue to track the chemical tanker through information from special contacts and through tips received via this special shipbreaking website.The banner reads: "See you in India!" In original language:Rubber Boten volgen Tanker TulipVanavond vertrekt het sloopschip Tulip uit de haven van Amsterdam. Greenpeace volgt het schip met rubberboten tot aan de sluizen van IJmuiden en zal door middel van tips (die via de speciale sloopschepen website worden doorgegeven) de Tulip in de gaten houden. Op het spandoek staat: "See you in India!" oftewel: "Tot ziens in India!". Greenpeace heeft sterke vermoedens dat dit schip - opnieuw - is verkocht voor de sloop. Dit betekent hoogstwaarschijnlijk dat de chemicaliëntanker op een van de Aziatische stranden onder erbarmelijke omstandigheden voor mens en milieu gesloopt gaat worden.Het schip arriveerde op 10 april in de haven van Amsterdam, het heette toen nog 'Gerd'. Het schip werd aan de ketting gelegd omdat de Noorse eigenaar schulden had. In juni werd het schip verkocht aan het in Liberia geregistreerde 'Advanced Distribution Company Limited'. Nadat Greenpeace de eigenaar verzocht inzage te geven van de giftige stoffen aan boord en liet weten het schip in de gaten te houden, trok deze koper zich terug. De Gerd zou op 5 september opnieuw worden geveild maar diezelfde week werd duidelijk dat het schip al was verkocht. Volgens tips die Greenpeace binnenkreeg op de speciale sloopschepen-website is het schip wederom gekocht door Advanced Distribution Company Limited. Dit wordt bevestigd door het Amsterdamse havenbedrijf. De advocaat van de rechtbank wil geen reactie geven.De nieuwe eigenaar heeft het schip inmiddels omgedoopt tot Tulip. Ook vaart het schip niet langer onder de Noorse vlag, maar onder die van St. Vincent. Helaas zijn dit soort schimmige praktijken schering en inslag in de scheepvaartbranche. Er bestaat geen meldplicht wanneer een schip naar de sloop gaat en eigenaren houden dit het liefst geheim. Jaarlijks gaan er honderden zeeschepen zoals de Gerd/Tulip naar de sloopstranden in Azië. Dit aantal neemt de komende jaren alleen maar toe; alle enkelwandige olietankers moeten voor 2015 uit de vaart zijn. Deze schepen zitten vol giftig afval zoals asbest en zware metalen. Tijdens de sloop komen deze giftige stoffen vrij; asbest waait vrijuit rond en olie en andere gifige stoffen lopen direct de zee in. De arbeidsomstandigheden van de slopers zijn erbarmelijk. In landen als India, Bangladesh en Pakistan slopen zij deze schepen zonder beschermende kleding.Locations:Amsterdam-Europe-NetherlandsDate:12 Sep, 2002Credit:© Greenpeace / Ruud GortMaximum size:2000px X 1312pxKeywords:Banners-Boats-KWCI (GPI)-Night-Rigid inflatable boats-Ship breaking-Toxic waste-Toxics (campaign title)Shoot:Action against Toxic Tanker Tulip in AmsterdamTonight the 'Tulip', a ship destined for scrapping, will depart from the Port of Amsterdam. The ship contains toxic substances like asbestos and heavy metals. Greenpeace will follow the ship with inflatables to the IJmuiden docks. After that Greenpeace will continue to track the chemical tanker through information from special contacts and through tips received via this special shipbreaking website. Greenpeace strongly suspects the ship has been sold - again - to shipbreakers.On 10 April 2002, the 'Tulip', which was then still named 'Gerd' arrived in Amsterdam and was detained because its Norwegian owners 'KS Venus' were in debt. On June 27, the ship was sold to the Liberian 'Advanced Distribution Company Limited', a company based in Monrovia, Liberia. The ship was sold for USD 750,000 a price below its market value in scrap on the same day.Immediately after the sale of this ship at auction rumours spread that the company was planning to send the ship to India for scrapping. The buyer withdrew its offer after Greenpeace asked for an inventory of hazardous materials and announced it was tracking the ship. The 'Gerd' was to be auctioned again on 5 September 2002, but that same week it became clear the ship had already been sold. According to tips at the Greenpeace shipbreaking website the ship was bought again by the Liberian registered company Advanced Distribution Company Limited. The Amsterdam Port Authority confirms this. The lawyer of the court and the new owner will not give a reaction. According to Fairplay the ship was sold 12th of July 2002 by a company named Flarom to unknown Indian/Bangladeshi breakers for USD 770.000.The new owner renamed the ship 'Tulip'. It now sails the flag of St. Vincent instead of a Norwegian flag. Whether the ship will be kept in service or immediately brought for scrapping to a shipbreaking yard, still remains unclear. Unfortunately these obscure practices are very common in the shipping industry. There is no duty to report when a ship is sailing off for scrap to a shipbreaking yard. The ship owners prefer to keep such information confidential. The export of waste is regulated in (international) treaties and legislation. Recently the Dutch 'Raad van State' (the highest Court in the Netherlands) decided that ships-for-scrap are subject to these same rules. Ships sent for scrap who contain toxic substances like asbestos and PCBs are toxic waste are not allowed to exported to developing countries.Greenpeace asks the new owner(s) of the ship to ensure that all toxic materials will be removed from the ship before scrap.Every year, hundreds of ships like the 'Gerd/Tulip' are sent to scrap yards in Asia. This number is set to increase dramatically over the next few years because single hull oil tankers will be obsolete by 2015. These ships contain lots of toxic waste like asbestos and heavy metals. During scrapping these toxic substances are released into the environment. Asbestos fibres float in the air. Oil and other toxic substances are released directly into the sea. The working conditions of the shipbreaking workers are very bad. In countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan they dismantle these ships without any protective clothing. The 'Tulip' was eventually scrapped in Alang, India, in May 2003. Before scrapping she was owned by Balfour Maritime in Liberia.
