Ghost ship sunk off Brazil coast – dismayed environmentalists Designer Paco Rabanne died at 88

The Brazilian navy has sunk a ghost ship in Brazilian waters that had been floating for months and was outfitted with toxic asbestos sheets. “The Brazilian Navy has acted with the necessary technical competence and safety,” said a statement from the navy on Friday (local time).

According to this, logistical, operational, environmental and economic losses for the Brazilian state must be avoided. The decommissioned aircraft carrier “São Paulo” had been taken to an area 350 kilometers off the Brazilian coast that legally still belongs to Brazil. The sea there is about 5000 meters deep.

The former aircraft carrier has been floating at sea off the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil for several months. The Turkish company “Sök” bought it in 2021. But when the 265-meter ship approached the Mediterranean from Rio de Janeiro, Turkey withdrew permission to dock. It was returned to Brazil, where it was also forbidden to dock because of the environmental risk. “Sök” threatened to abandon ship.

Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama said in January that the aircraft carrier, once owned by the French Navy, does not carry toxic cargo but does contain asbestos-insulating panels. The authority suggested that the ship be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner at a recognized shipyard. Now that it had sunk, environmentalists criticized this.

“The environmental damage caused by the sinking is unpredictable, but the Brazilian Navy’s decision will certainly have an impact on marine life and coastal communities,” said a joint statement from the organizations Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd and Basel Action Network. » .Accordingly, Brazil violates three international agreements.(sda/dpa)