the toxic truth - Greenpeace

01.06.2013 Views
the toxic truth CAUSTIC WASHING ON BOARD THE PROBO KOALA A Side section of the ship B What had been put in C Circulation for 24 hours D What was left in the ship CAUSTIC SODA CIRCULATION This infographic is a simplication of the caustic washing process COKER NAPHTHA TOXIC WASTE CIRCULATION SLOP TANKS OILY LIQUID LAYER AQUEOUS LAYER CIRCULATION SEDIMENTS (UNCONFIRMED) CATALYST WASHED COKER NAPHTHA 71 Chapter 6

72 Amnesty internAtionAl And greenpeAce netherlAnds Chapter 6 The composition of the waste: what is not known A contaminated sediment layer Sediment waste residues appeared to have been generated not only in the slop tanks but also in the cargo tanks during the caustic washings. Being heavier, the sediment would probably have sunk to the bottom of the ship while it was docked at Amsterdam, and the method used to sample the waste – a jar lowered to the bottom of the slop tanks – would not necessarily have detected any sludgy sediments. 306 Evidence of the existence of an unsampled sediment layer comes from several sources. Firstly, a dispute arose in September 2006 between the owner of the Probo Koala, Prime Marine Management, and Trafigura, who chartered the ship. The dispute appeared to be related to the costs of proper cleaning of solid residue left in the tanks following the dumping in Abidjan. 307 Secondly, an investigation in Norway following an explosition at Vest Tank (see Chapter 7), where the same process of caustic washing was undertaken by Trafigura, 308 shows that 50m 3 of sediment were produced in that case. It is therefore reasonable to consider that such sediment was produced on board the Probo Koala. Finally, one of the truck drivers from Abidjan, who claims to have taken the last offload from the Probo Koala, has stated: “ I managed to fill up the tank only half way, in other words between 10,000 and 15,000 litres. At that point, the liquid was very heavy – almost like liquid mud. It was a sort of thick and 309 reddish mud. ” If part of a sediment layer of waste was dumped in Abidjan, it is possible that the risk to human health would be greater than if no such waste layer were present. More information on the composition of the waste is included in Annex I. The information that is publicly available about the waste clearly demonstrates that it was hazardous. However, by far the most in-depth knowledge of the waste is held by Trafigura, and the company has made public statements about the waste and its potential to affect health, based on data and testing and modelling it claims to have carried out in relation to the waste. To date, Trafigura has been unwilling to disclose this information. Given the scale of the disaster at Abidjan, and the ongoing concerns amongst the affected individuals – concerns shared by medical professionals – the fullest possible disclosure of information on the nature of the waste, and the potential health impacts is essential. This would allow independent experts to scrutinize the data and to provide reassurance – or appropriate treatment – for affected individuals. Was the coker naphtha already a Basel waste? Under the Basel Convention, “wastes” are defined as “substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national law.” 310 “Disposal” is defined as meaning any operation specified in Annex IV of the Basel Convention; 311 Annex IV includes operations for both final disposal (under Annex IV A) and recycling (under Annex IV B). The title of Annex IV B reads as follows: “operations, which may lead to resource recovery, recycling reclamation, direct reuse or alternative uses”. Most industrial or manufacturing production processes involve the production of wastes which are sometimes referred to as by-products. These wastes or by-products must be properly disposed of or further processed in order to turn them into products or commodities.

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