Thai authorities are working urgently to prevent around 100 shipping containers allegedly containing hazardous industrial waste from Albania from reaching the country, Bloomberg reports.
The Basel Action Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit that monitors toxic trade, alerted Thailand that these containers, believed to hold electric arc furnace dust, were en route. Adding to the concern, one of the ships transporting the containers disappeared from tracking services near Cape Town after South African authorities were notified.
Officials in Thailand are coordinating with their counterparts in Albania and Singapore to halt the shipments, as they were not informed or given consent for these containers, which violate the United Nations Basel Convention that mandates consent for hazardous waste transport.
The Basel Convention is an international treaty that aims to reduce the movement of hazardous waste between countries, particularly from developed to developing nations. Established in 1989 and entering into force in 1992, the convention was created in response to growing concerns about the environmental and health impacts of hazardous waste disposal.
- The Basel Convention seeks to control and minimize the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and ensure their environmentally sound management and disposal.
- It covers a broader range of hazardous wastes, not limited to ships. The Basel Convention applies to the movement of hazardous wastes across national borders, with the goal of reducing the generation of hazardous wastes and promoting environmentally sound management practices.
- The convention establishes a framework for the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes, including the requirement for prior informed consent from the importing country, the establishment of appropriate disposal facilities, and the promotion of waste minimization and recycling.
The Basel Action Network, along with local environmental groups, reported that over 800 tons of toxic electric arc furnace dust were loaded onto ships in Albania, with planned transfers to other vessels in Singapore before arriving in Thailand on August 20.
The Thai government was informed that the containers were loaded onto ships in Albania in early July. The ship that stopped broadcasting its location on July 31 in Cape town is expected to arrive in Singapore on August 14, while another vessel is set to arrive on August 22.
Advocates are urging swift action from authorities in both Singapore and Thailand to intercept the shipments and ensure the hazardous waste is properly managed.
