Press Releases - ABLE

COMPANY WELCOMES DEFRA STATEMENT
07/11/03

The Managing Director of Able UK tonight (November 7th) welcomed as a ‘sensible decision’ the announcement by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, recognising that two ships on their way to the company’s recycling facility at Graythorp should complete their journey.

Said Mr Peter Stephenson “Given all the circumstances, including safety and environmental considerations, it clearly makes commonsense that the vessels should be taken into our facility where they can be safely stored until any outstanding legal issues can be resolved.

“Earlier this week Mr Justice Maurice Kay ordered that no work, other than that required to make and keep them safe, should be carried out on these vessels, and another two currently under tow from the United States, until a court hearing scheduled for the week commencing December 8th.

“We made clear that we were confident that our TERRC (Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre) is fully equipped to ensure that the vessels can be kept moored and in a safe condition and we are pleased that the statement issued by DEFRA supports that view.

“We are currently in the process of making arrangements for the arrival of the first two vessels into our facility, which we expect will take place next week.

“It is important to underline the fact that, despite the lurid claims of various organisations and individuals, these vessels are seaworthy and do not contain any cargo or large amounts of hazardous materials. This point was made clear by the Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett yesterday when she stated:

‘The ships in this consignment do not come into a special category of toxicity. Like all ships, they contain some hazardous materials, but they are not inherently dangerous and are not carrying toxic cargo.’

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