Press Releases - ABLE

COMPANY WELCOMES TRANSPORT SECRETARY’S DECISION
04/11/03

The Managing Director of Able UK today (November 4th) welcomed what he described as the ‘clear and rapid’ rejection by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling of calls from Hartlepool Council for him to order that US vessels in transit to the company’s facility at Graythorp should be returned to the United States.

Peter Stephenson has also called on the Council to explain why it its Planning Committee is unwilling to make clear whether or not it accepts that a key planning permission at Able UK’s TERRC (Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre) is valid. Yesterday a meeting of the Council’s Planning Committee, called to discuss the issue of planning permission for the construction of a ‘bund’ to allow the sealing and draining of TERRC basin, decided ‘not to make or express any view on the current planning permission.’

Said Mr Stephenson “I am pleased that the Secretary of State has moved so quickly to make it crystal clear that he has no intention of taking any action over the four vessels which are currently in transit to our facility. As his Government colleague Elliott Morley made clear in the Commons yesterday—and I quote—‘the only concern for the Department of Transport is whether the ships are seaworthy’ and Ministers have underlined that the vessels have been thoroughly inspected on a number of occasions by both several agencies and insurers and passed as seaworthy.

“Given that the Council has today held a special Council meeting to discuss the issue of our contract for the recycling of the vessels, given that it has issued a News Release following that meeting, given that both the Chief Executive and the Mayor have in the last few days issued public statements on the matter, I really do find it remarkable that the Planning Committee is not prepared to give its view on what is the key issue at the heart of the whole debate over this matter.

“Our position is clear—we are confident and have legal advice to support that we have the relevant planning permissions in place for the remediation and recycling of the vessels at TERRC and also for the construction of the bund which will enable us to carry out the work in ‘dry dock’ conditions. Yesterday the Planning Committee had the opportunity to make clear its formal position but chose not to do so.

“It appears that they are adopting this position on the basis of legal advice, but one is bound to ask why when both Councillors and officers from the Authority have felt no difficulty in making public comments—as underlined by today’s Council meeting.

“As the United States Maritime Administration has underlined, we are all working to find a satisfactory solution and the vessels are continuing their journey.”

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