The Brazilian Navy has sunk a ghost ship in Brazilian waters that had been floating for months and was outfitted with toxic asbestos sheets. “The Brazilian Navy proceeded with the necessary technical competence and safety,” the navy said in a statement Friday (local time). According to this, logistical, operational, environmental and economic losses for the Brazilian state must be avoided.
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Sao Paulo had been taken to an area 350 kilometers from the Brazilian coast that is still legally part of Brazil. The sea there is about 5000 meters deep.
Aircraft carrier bought by Turkish company
The former aircraft carrier has been floating at sea off the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil for several months. The Turkish company Sök bought it in 2021. But when the ship approached the Mediterranean from Rio de Janeiro, Turkey withdrew permission to dock.
It was returned to Brazil, where it was also forbidden to dock because of the environmental risk. The crew of the Sök threatened to abandon ship.
Environmentalists criticize the decision
Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama said in January that the aircraft carrier, once owned by the French Navy, does not carry toxic cargo but does contain asbestos-insulating panels. The authority suggested that the ship be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner at a recognized shipyard. Environmentalists have criticized the decision to sink it.
Source: Krone
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