Will the toxic ship Gulf Jash come to Gujarat's Alang Shipbreaking yard?

AHMEDABAD, INDIA(Scrap Monster): Fear of Gulf Jash, a hazardous vessel, to enter Alang ship breaking yard, has raised concern among various environmental NGOs and ship recycling units. Alang Shipbreaking Yard in Western Indian state of Gujarat is one of the largest shipbreaking facility in the world.

Gulf Jash, previously named 'Probo Koala', was originally owned by Netherlands-based Trafigura and is believed to be carrying toxic chemicals, including mercaptant - a group of sulphur-containing substances, that attack the respiratory system, and hydrogen, that affects the central nervous system.

In 2006, the company Trafigura had used the ship to illegally dump 528 tonnes of toxic waste in Abidjan, the largest city of the Ivory Coast, causing death of 16 people.

Global Marketing Systems (GMS), the US-based company operating the ship, sold Gulf Jash at Bangladesh, but the government there denied her entry last week. It is now feared that the ship may now land at Alang ship breaking yard.

As reported by Indian daily, Daily News and Analysis, both the port officer of Alang, and the country-based representative of GMS, denied arrival of the ship in India. The ship breakers in Alang believe that this is one more false attempt of defaming Gujarat's ship recycling industries.

Also, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board has denied any such information and has claimed that the ship, Gulf Jash, is now headed towards China and not India.