the toxic truth - Greenpeace

the toxic truth
On 15 August, Trafigura sent the following
email to Comoditex, referring to Nigerian
company, Daddo:
“ Appreciate if you can discuss with Daddo…
see if they can arrange for a barge to pick
up the slops, preferably offshore lomé or
as far possible offshore nigeria and within
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International Waters. ”
However, Comoditex replied saying that Daddo
would only deslop in Nigerian waters rather
than international waters:
“ I have spoken with the Operations Manager
at Daddo, … and he has advised that they will
only be able to arrange for a barge to de-slop
in nigerian waters. Expect this to take place
on Thursday as we expect the Probo Koala to
complete at the SBM tomorrow subject to the
usual ullage constraints.
“ he will also ensure that we get proper
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paperwork for receipt of slops. ”
Internal Trafigura emails as well as a witness
statement as part of the court proceedings
in the Netherlands, show that Trafigura’s
Chairman, Claude Dauphin, was involved in
discussing the options for disposal of the
waste when the Probo Koala was in Nigeria. 147
The following email was sent on 16 August:
“ Dude please call cD, I spoke to him
yesterday and he said nO to any such operation
in nigeria. We go to lomé, charter a barge
and bring it back to nigeria for Daddo under a
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different name. ”
While the content of these emails is not fully
clear, the references to deslopping [offloading
the waste] in international waters and to
bringing the waste back to Nigeria under a
different name raise serious questions about
Trafigura’s intentions with regard to disposal
of the waste in Nigeria.
Trafigura evidently abandoned plans to
dispose of the waste in Lagos, and the Probo
Koala then set sail for Abidjan.
duTCh poliCe efforTs
To TraCk The wasTe
As noted above, the unusual series of events in Amsterdam
should have triggered further enquiries into the
nature of the waste and plans for its disposal. After the
Probo Koala was allowed to leave Amsterdam Dutch police
officers, reportedly concerned by the decision to allow
the ship to leave Amsterdam with the waste on board,
carried out further enquiries. 149 These revealed that the
waste had been generated by a caustic washing process
and was therefore not “tank washings”, as Trafigura had
previously claimed in Amsterdam. On 15 August, while
the Probo Koala was still in Lagos, Naeem Ahmed from
Trafigura’s London office received a call from a Dutch
police official who was trying to track the waste. During
the call, the police officer confirmed that the waste on
board the Probo Koala had been generated by caustic
washing. 150 The police officer advised Naeem Ahmed that
the waste should be disposed of as chemical rather than
MARPOL slops, and that the Dutch police would need
paperwork verifying the proper disposal of the waste. 151
This phone conversation happened five days before the
dumping in Abidjan.
On 17 August the Probo Koala received new
orders to proceed immediately to Abidjan,
Côte d’Ivoire:
“ Good day captain, Upon receipt of this
message please proceed to Abidjan, côte
d’Ivoire and to arrive there ready in all respect
to perform the following operation: for disposal
of chemical waste from slop tanks as per below.
…The local agency WAIBS will assist in the safe
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disposal of these slops. ”
The following day, 18 August 2006, Trafigura
entered into an agreement with a small, newly
licensed Ivorian company to dispose of the
waste in Abidjan, and the stage was set for the
human rights and environmental tragedy that
is described in this report.
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Chapter 3