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MP HITS OUT AT ‘LIES’ OVER SHIPS CONTRACT
11/11/03

A local MP who spent many years working in the local chemical industry—including carrying out projects to remove asbestos and other hazardous products—has hit out at what he described as ‘the pack of lies’ from campaigners against proposals to recycle redundant American ships at Able UK’s Graythorp yard.

The Stockton North MP Frank Cook, whose constituency includes Able’s headquarters in Billingham, was speaking as the first of the American ships was on the final leg of its journey to Teesside. A long-time campaigner on environmental issues, he said he was ‘horrified’ at the tactics of Friends of the Earth and others.

Explained Frank Cook “When, together with other local MPs, I was first asked by the Health and Safety Executive for a view on this project I made clear that it was vital that all proper steps were taken to safeguard both the environment and the well-being of the workforce.

“All the evidence I have seen—and my knowledge of the track record of Able UK—convinces me that all proper arrangements and precautions are in place and that actually we should be welcoming the fact that we have the facilities to carry out this kind of work in some of the best facilities in the world…and certainly a lot better than the appalling conditions under which far too many vessels are torn apart on the beaches of Bangladesh and other developing countries.

“Perhaps the people who are rushing to grab the headlines at present should remember that it is only a few years ago that everyone was campaigning for the Brent Spar oil rig to be brought into the Able yard for dismantling because it was the best environmental solution—yet it certainly contained far more dangerous materials than these ships.

“The exaggeration in the claims being made by Friends of the Earth and their supporters is frankly mind-boggling. Having worked in chemical and industrial plants in Teesside, I know the kind of measures which have to be taken in dealing with hazardous materials such as asbestos—and I also know the amounts on these ships are minute compared to the levels which are regularly removed in complete safety from large plants and buildings…indeed Able UK themselves have undertaken many such projects.

“I will always defend environmentalists when they have a justified case and I am proud to have worked alongside organisations such as Friends of the Earth on many causes. But on this occasion I make no apologies for saying that I believe their misleading and mendacious actions have certainly not been in the interests of the environment or my constituents and others who need the jobs this kind of contract can bring.”

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