Toxic ship is coming to Turkey! Harmful to human health and the environment

The French-flagged ship named Raymond Croze, owned by the French company "Orange" and having reached the end of its service life, is coming to Turkey for dismantling. The ship, which contains hazardous waste, will reach the Aliağa port today. 

After becoming a destination for the world's waste, Turkey has also begun to become a hub for the dismantling of ships containing hazardous materials. Ship dismantling is known as one of the world's most controversial sectors, particularly due to its impact on the environment and public health. Turkey has already gained a bad reputation as a country currently under debate for the health and environmental impacts of its ship dismantling operations.

When it comes to ship dismantling, Asian countries are the first to come to mind. However, Turkey has also topped the list in this regard in recent years. According to ship dismantling data published in 2020, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and China carry out 98 percent of global ship dismantling.

The Raymond Croze ship, which departed from the Port of Toulon on December 18, will be brought to the Aliağa Anadolu Gemi Söküm (AGS) facility today.

Experts anticipate that the ship contains many hazardous substances, primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with toxic and carcinogenic effects, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms, furans, dioxins, heavy metals, heavy oils, and tributyltins (TBT). This situation poses a serious threat to the environment, public health, and worker safety.