Toxic waste shipped to France
2006-10-28 08:58
Franz Wild
Abijan - Dozens of sealed containers filled with toxic waste were headed for France on Saturday, two months after it was dumped across the West African nation's main city.
Ivory Coast authorities say 10 people died from contamination with the waste.
Packed into rows of cylindrical containers, the waste left Abidjan's port aboard the MN Toucan just before midnight on Friday. The vessel belongs to the French shipping company, Maritime Nantaise.
The ship's captain, Franck Ouvray, said the ship would take about 10 days to transport the first of four loads of the waste to Le Havre, France.
Tredi International, the French company contracted by the Ivorian government to clean up the waste from 17 sites across Abijdan, has removed about 5 000 tons of toxins since September 17.
Tredi spokesperson Henri Petitgand said clean-up crews had not yet finished and were still working at two sites.
'How did that get there?'
He said that once the containers arrived in France, it would take about two weeks to neutralise the toxic contents.
The waste was offloaded from the Probo Koala, chartered by Dutch commodities trading company Trafigura Beheer BV, in Abidjan on August 19.
Trafigura officials said the ship was carrying a cargo of petrol and had stopped in Abidjan to dispose of the contents of the ship's waste tanks, or "slops".
Trafigura said this was a mixture of petrol residues, water and caustic sodas used to clean slops.
United Nations experts, however, said the waste contained deadly hydrogen sulphide.
Trafigura officials said it was a mystery how the hydrogen sulphide was found, as caustic sodas typically used to clean slops "cannot produce the toxic substance".
Ivory Coast's health ministry says 10 people died in areas where the waste was dumped. More than 60 people have also been hospitalised and about 100 000 have sought medical treatment.
'We are still cleaning'
As the waste moved out on Friday, the strong scent of rotting garlic was still detectable. Residents said the lethal fumes have caused diarrhoea, headaches, breathing problems and small spots on their skin.
Safiatou Ba N'daw, who heads a special government committee set up to deal with the crisis, said just because the waste was being shipped out didn't mean the crisis was over.
"I would not say this is the end," she said. "We must not forget that we are still cleaning the ground, and we still have to clean the lagoon and the sewage system."
Ivory Coast's government is investigating the scandal but has yet to announce any findings.
Seven people, including four Ivorian officials, the Nigerian head of Tommy and two French executives of Trafigura have been arrested in connection with the incident. They have been charged with breaking local toxic waste disposal laws.
- AP