Mexico's state-owned oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), recently sold two obsolete tankers to be scrapped on the shipbreaking beaches of Pakistan and Bangladesh, in defiance of the UN Basel Convention, says the watchdog group, Basel Action Network (BAN).
The ships, the Sebastian and the De Marz, arrived on the shipbreaking beaches without notice and without the hazardous materials built into them having been cleaned. They are suspected to contain high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and asbestos, among other hazardous materials.
In addition to violating the Basel Convention (which protects human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes), the action also transgresses Mexican law that bans contaminated exports to non-OECD nations, says Mexico-based member of the global NGO Shipbreaking Platform, BAN. The group has now called upon the newly-elected Mexican government to bring the ships back to Mexico.
"Mexico has violated its own laws and international law", says BAN's Colby Self. "In accordance with Mexico's obligations under the Basel Convention, these toxic ships much be repatriated immediately. The governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan must be told to return the ships and under no circumstances allow them to be scrapped on their beaches."
The Basel Action Network has reported contact with the Mexican government since 2010, alerting officials of PEMEX's plans to sell obsolete tankers and seemingly sidestep Mexican law. On 6 April 2012, BAN informed the government of PEMEX's attempt to sell the vessels for alleged continued use, despite the ships being banned from active operation under MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) due to age and configuration.
The Mexican government allowed the ships to be sold for reuse, but in July the ships were sent to Pakistan and Bangladesh for scrapping – constituting "illegal traffic" according to Mexico's interpretation of Article 9 of the UN convention.
Shipbreaking in Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to BAN, is both dangerous and polluting. Ships are broken down by hand, putting workers in danger of falling scrap metal, explosions and fires, as well as exposure to toxic chemicals. The process also releases hazardous waste into the marine environment unimpeded.
"We hope that [the sudden change of policy] does not reflect a cynical calculation that money is more important than worrying about damaging the global environment, exploiting impoverished Asian laborers, or providing good jobs by doing the scrapping job safely and cleanly at home", Self added.
According to BAN, the ships could have alternatively been scrapped and recycled in Mexico, the U.S. or another OECD or EU nation. In 2011, two former PEMEX tankers were recycled in Mexico, creating hundreds of local recycling jobs.
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