French Asbestos Warship Heads To India For Demolition

FROTH AND BUBBLE

Marseille (AFP) Jan 05, 2006
A French warship insulated with asbestos which is at the centre of a court battle with environmental groups resumed its final journey to an Indian breaker's yard on Monday, authorities said.

The aircraft carrier Clemenceau was hooked up to a powerful Dutch tugboat on Monday morning, after bad weather stalled its departure by 24 hours, said a maritime official in the southeastern French port of Toulon.

The 24,200 tonne ship, which no longer has a power plant, is to be towed over the next two months to the world's largest ship-breaking yard in Alang, northwest India.

Five French navy tugs towed the 265-metre (870 foot) Clemenceau out of Toulon harbour on Sunday, while boats formed a cordon to prevent interference from campaigners, but stormy weather prevented the Dutch tugboat from taking control of the vessel.

Greenpeace and three other groups have tried for months to block the transfer on the grounds that Indian shipyard workers are not properly protected from the hazards of working with asbestos, which can cause fatal lung diseases.

Both Greenpeace and the Ban Asbestos group are to bring a suit this week before the State Council, France's highest court, in a final bid to prevent the ship from going to India, their lawyer said.

Another environmental group, Robin des Bois (Robin Hood), argues that the French state acted responsibly by undertaking 90 percent of the asbestos decontamination work itself, a first for European shipping.

The Clemenceau, which was commissioned in 1961 and took part in the 1991 Gulf War, was taken out of service six years after the war when it was superseded by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Source: Agence France-Presse

FROTH AND BUBBLE

China Waterworks Resumes Supplies After Spill

Beijing (AFP) Jan 05, 2006
A waterworks in south China has resumed supplies to tens of thousands of people after being shut down for more than a week following a dangerous toxic spill, state media reported Tuesday.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Relief Flights Resume In Wintry Pakistan Quake Zone Killer Tsunami Showcases India Disaster Skills, Global Ambitions Indian Ocean Nations Need Broader Disaster Warning System Indonesia Admits Mistakes In Tsunami Response	CLIMATE SCIENCE Hottest Australian Year Boosts Global Warming Worries Past Year Set To Be One Of Warmest Years On Record Says WMO Kyoto Protocol Confirmed As The Only Game In Town Fine-Tuning The Steps In The Intricate Climate Change Dance
EARTH OBSERVATION Radar Sat Service Checks Stability Of Africa's Largest Artificial Hole Intersat Introduces Virtual Reality Flight Simulator Indian Remote Sensing Sat Completes Ten Years Sahara's Edge Studied From Ground, Air And Space To Improve Water Management	ENERGY TECH US Renewable Energy Firms Cash In Strong Magnetism Creates 2D Superconductivity China Begins Building First Hydropower Plant On Jinsha River Analysis: Oil Still A Lucrative Business
EPIDEMICS Avian-Flu Battle Is Being Lost Says UN Agency Potential Bird Flu Treatment Among LIAI Findings China Reports Sixth Human Bird Flu Case And Fresh Outbreak New Flu Fears In Three Countries	FLORA AND FAUNA An Elephant Tail Scientists Sequence DNA Of Woolly Mammoth Why The Amazon Rainforest Is So Rich In Species WWF Peeks Into Mysterious Life Of Borneo Pygmy Elephants
FROTH AND BUBBLE French Asbestos Warship Heads To India For Demolition China Waterworks Resumes Supplies After Spill Toxic Levels Low In Russian River Toxic Slick Hits Major Russian River	ABOUT US New Technique Puts Brain-Imaging Research On Its Head New Maps Reveal True Extent Of Human Footprint On Earth Distinct Brain Regions Specialized For Faces And Bodies NSF Funds Probe Of The Quintessence Of Surprise

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement