Ecology groups call on Brazil to take action against aircraft carrier dismantling in Türkiye

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Five ecology groups have called on Brazil's embassy in Türkiye to take action regarding an aircraft carrier that is set to be dismantled in the Aliağa ship breaking facility in İzmir, western Türkiye.

The now-decommissioned ship named Sao Paulo was used by France between 1963 and 2000 and then was sold to Brazil, which used it until 2012.

A Türkiye-based company got the contract for the dismantling of the ship last year and was given clearance by the Ministry of Environment on May 30. It will reportedly set off for Türkiye on August 5.

CLICK - Aircraft carrier set to head to Turkey for dismantling amid asbestos concerns 

The size of the São Paulo vessel and the harmful materials that can be released by dismantling the vessel, including asbestos, have caused concerns among environmental groups and opposition parties.

Minister Murat Kurum dismissed the reports that the vessel contained 900 tons of asbestos and said it contained only 9.6 tons of asbestos, citing a survey report.

However, the groups said the accuracy of the numbers submitted to the ministry's Waste Submission System were disputable as they were based on companies' statements.

"In 2008, more than 77 tons of asbestos was found on the Otopan ship, which stated to contain 1 ton of asbestos and was sent back to the Netherlands after reactions.

"In 2015, in the tanker named Kuito, which was brought to Aliağa for dismantling, five times more radioactivity was detected than stated in the 2013 survey."

Brazil's "legal responsibility"

"The proceedings regarding the dispatch of the Sao Paulo nuclear warship to Türkiye are in violation of international conventions such as the Basel Convention, the Barcelona Convention, and the İzmir Protocol, and will cause the Federal Republic of Brazil to be legally responsible.

"As the undersigned environment and ecology organizations, we do not want the São Paulo aircraft carrier to be brought to our country, which does not have precise data on measurements of nuclear fallout and contains many dangerous and harmful substances, especially radioactivity and asbestos."

The groups called on the government of Brazil to take action to prevent the sending of the ship to Türkiye.

The following groups signed the statement: Aliağa Environmental Platform (ALÇEP), Foça Environmental and Cultural Platform (FOÇEP), Aegean Environmental and Cultural Platform (EGEÇEP), FOÇA FORUM, Polen Ecology Collective. (TY/VK)