The Clemenceau is now in the Suez Canal. Egyptian authorities cleared its passage on Sunday, saying it posed no danger to Egypt. What the Clemenceau now needs before docking at Alang is an okay from the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC), which meets in Delhi on January 20 to take the decision.

Irrespective of what happens that day — and the shrill international campaign by NGOs notwithstanding — for the shipbreakers of Alang, the Clemenceau is just another ship coming to die at their hands.

“Glass wool, asbestos and paints have always been a part of the toxic material we have had to deal with,” says Raj Bansal, president of the Ship Breakers Association. Some 4,240 ships have been taken apart at Alang over the last 23 years, and it is almost certain nearly all have had some sort of hazardous material on board.

There’s a difference, however.

“The Clemenceau is literally reeking of asbestos,” says D. Thyagarajan, chairman of the SCMC. According to the French government, there were only 160 tonnes of asbestos on board the 26,000-tonne ship, of which 115 tonnes have already been removed. But according to Technopure, a firm that was engaged to remove the asbestos, the ship could have originally had close to 500 tonnes of the stuff on board.

Mukesh Patel, owner of Alang’s Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Yard — where the ship was scheduled to dock when it sailed from Toulon in France on the last day of 2005 — is understandably upset. “When the French government is clearly saying that there are only about 50 tonnes of asbestos left, what is the need to believe NGOs or Technopure,” he asks.

Patel suspects the NGOs have an agenda — and Technopure a grouse. According to him, Technopure was first awarded the contract to de-contaminate the ship but was sacked midway, whereafter another company, Prestosid, completed the job.

But the SCMC has reasons not to take the French at face value.

They have been desperate to get rid of the ship since 1997, and have not been able to provide the SCMC with any papers to prove exactly how much as bestos the ship has left on board, said a member. “We did not receive anything other than a press release.” Another member said it had been suggested to the French that the asbestos be shipped back to France once it had been removed from the ship. “But they didn’t agree. With a lame smile, the French official told us that they could not let any as bestos into their country. It is banned there.” How dangerous is the Alang yard?

Almost from the time it was set up in 1982, Alang has been infamous for the way it has treated labour ers working in the shipbreaking yards. Basic infra structure, personal safety equipment, hospitals, workers quarters, a proper system to dispose of haz ardous waste, all have been notoriously lacking.

However, signs of change are visible now.

Workers — mainly migrants from Orissa, UP and Bihar — wear safety gear, complete with helmets and gloves, though boots and masks are still not common.

Sixty per cent of the 180 functional yards have ISO 40,001 and ISO 18,000 certification for Pollution Safety and Environment Management System and Occupational Health and Safety Management System. According to the yard owners, all workers are insured against accidents and deaths. No one works for more than 8 hours a day.

The Gujarat Maritime Board has organised clean drinking water and a solid waste disposal system. It has set up a training institute for workers. “We hope to train them all in a phased manner,” Captain G.H. Gohil, port officer, said.

However, except for a Red Cross hospital with four beds, there are few medical services in Alang. Land has been earmarked for workers quarters and a hospital, but construction hasn’t begun.

“About 80-100 patients visit the hospital daily,” says the medical superintendent of the Red Cross Hospital. He says the incidence of disease and in juries has fallen since the number of workers came down from a one-time high of 40,000 to just 3,000 now. A business hit by recession The reduction in the number of workers is di rectly related to the reduction in the number of ships that have been coming into Alang. From a high of 361 ships that came in during 1998-99, the number fell to a 196 in 2004-05. Just 73 are scheduled to come in during 2005-06.

This has directly affected the 500 shops outside the yards, selling furniture, crockery, plywood, kitchenware and gym equipment from the ships. “People from across India came to buy these goods,” said Vallabhai Dhandhliya, owner of one such shop.

No. of ships to Alang in 2001 333 In 2005, it was just 73 Revenue generated by Gujarat Maritime Board in 2001 was Rs35crore. This year till Dec, it’s Rs6crore Toxic content Asbestos is used as a fire retardant in ships, its dust causes permanent breathing difficulties. It can even lead to lung cancer Harmful heavy metals like lead, arsenic, zinc and tin can be found in paints, coatings, anodes, insulation, batteries etc Mercury is present in fumes produced by welding and cutting Radiation in terms of noise and vibrations Air pollution from low-level radium sources Organic liquids from batteries, gas cylinders, fire-fighting material