Press Releases - ABLE

COMPANY RESPONDS TO COUNCIL STATEMENT
07/10/03

The following statement has been issued by Mr Peter Stephenson, Managing Director of Able UK, in response to an unexpected News Release issued today by Hartlepool Council regarding planning permissions at the company’s TERRC (Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre) facility at Graythorp:

“As we have made it very clear publicly on a number of occasions, we are confident that all the necessary planning approvals are in place to enable us to fulfil the contract with the United States Marine Administration (MARAD) for the recycling of redundant merchant vessels at the TERRC facility.

“In relation to the construction of a ‘bund’ which would enable us to drain the TERRC basin and dismantle the vessels in dry dock conditions, we have very clear legal advice that this is provided for under two existing separate planning approvals.

“We will today again make our position clear to the Council. Given that this is a matter which has been under discussion with many different agencies, both here and in the United States, over a very considerable time, it is a surprising and disappointing that the Council has issued such a statement at this time when approvals for the movement of the vessels have been received from all the appropriate authorities—and work on moving the first vessels has begun.”

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