OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Environmental organisations have brought a new suit against the French government in an attempt to prevent the departure of the decommissioned aircraft carrier, the Clemenceau, to India. The suit was filed in a Paris court.

Greenpeace and the group Ban Asbestos claim that procedures at the Alang naval yard in India would not protect the workers from the effects of asbestos. The groups also say that there are 100 tonnes of asbestos on the vessel, and not a small amount as claimed by the French authorities. The French government maintains that international treaties against the dumping of chemical waste do not apply to the vessel since it is a decommissioned warship.

SOURCE: Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep