Toxic waste under UK flag heading for Thailand

News 16 Aug 2024 by Simon Walton

An environmental watchdog has alerted authorities to an illegal consignment of poisonous industrial waste heading for a Thai port.

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The Maersk Cantor, one of the two ships involved in the controversial cargo © Image by Wolfgang Fricke

Two British flagged container ships are implicated in a toxic waste controversy. The vessels, named by media as the Maersk Campton and the Maersk Candor, are reportedly en route to Thailand, via Singapore. According to environmentalists, both ships have a significant number of containers carrying illegal toxic waste.

Activists have alerted Thai authorities to a potential attempted landing of toxic waste. The alarm was raised as the vessels were approaching a scheduled call at Singapore. According to global media sources, both vessels have been informed that they will not be allowed to discharge their cargo. It’s likely that the vessels also have legitimate cargo on board.

Highly poisonous lead and cadmium

The alarm was raised by the independent environmental watchdog, Basel Action Network. The US-based not-for-profit group tracks the trade in toxic waste. According to media in Thailand, including the Bangkok Post, the group warned the Thai authorities last week that the illicit cargo was on its way to Laem Chabang Port in Thailand. Basel Action Network has identified the cargo in question as electric arc furnace dust.

EAFD, as it is commonly known, is a classified substance, listed as environmentally hazardous waste. The dust is typically laced with oxides of heavy metals, including highly poisonous lead and cadmium. Maersk refutes media claims that either ship called at Italian and Albanian ports prior to setting sail for Asia, nor that thye were due to visit any port in Thailand. However, the containers conveying the toxic EAFD are understood to have originated in Albania, where the recycling of steel is the most likely source of the dust.

AIS switched off for security

The Mersey Campton is due to dock in Singapore this week. The Candor is still at sea. Maersk has issued a statement, declaiming any knowledge of the cargo, which was not registered as hazardous, in contravention of international regulations. The English language Albanian Daily News carried a statement from a Maersk spokeswoman. “Due to the speculation about the content of these containers, Maersk will hand over the containers to the shipping line which has booked and is responsible for the containers in question,” said Summer Shi, implying that they will be returned to their port of origin.

It’s understood that the Campton has 40 questionable containers on board. The Candor, which is still at sea, has a further 60 containers in its manifest. Both ships are in the Ultra Large (ULCV) class, each with a capacity in excess of 14500 TEU. The twin vessels entered service in 2022. Basel Action Network had alleged that the Maersk Campton had switched off its Automatic Identification System, and failed to make a port call in South Africa, which the watchdog claims is highly suspicious. However, the company said silent running was due to security concerns in the region. The vessel re-established contact on approach to Singapore. Between the two ships, BAN says the total EAFD on board is over 800 tonnes. Waste management is a growing sector, with many countries, including the UK, choosing to handle consignments domestically.

Maersk sending containers back to origin

In a statement to WorldCargo News, Maersk’s spokesperson in the region, Summer Shi, confirmed that the vessel Maersk Campton is, on behalf of another shipping line, carrying 41 containers that originate in Albania and should be discharged in Singapore. “None of these containers have been declared to contain hazardous waste. Had they been declared to contain hazardous waste, Maersk would have declined to carry them.”

Due to the speculation about the content of these containers, Maersk is currently cooperating with Singaporean authorities as well as the shipping line involved. Maersk is carrying the containers on behalf of a thrid party. “We expect to resolve operational matters in the coming days, to ensure that the containers will be repatriated to Albania in the best way possible,’ said Ms Shi. “A similar procedure is expected to take place for Maersk Candor which carries 61 containers also originating in Albania and booked by the same shipping line.”