Freedom of Information documents obtained by Greenpeace Nordic reveal Australian oil processing vessel Northern Endeavour was carrying toxic waste when it was shipped across the world to Denmark, and its export by the Australian Government may have breached the Basel Convention.
Image Credit: Greenpeace Australia Pacific
The Northern Endeavour, a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which arrived at a Danish port in March, was found through FOIs to be carrying flammable liquids, poisonous substances, corrosive substances, toxins and ecotoxins, and its documentation was not signed by Australia's Basel Competent Authority despite the shipment originating from an Australian offshore decommissioning project.
This week, Greenpeace Nordic protested the arrival of the Northern Endeavour to Frederikshavn Harbor in Denmark, displaying a two meter-long banner reading, "Australia, deal with your own toxic waste."
Lauren Bowey, Campaign Leader at Greenpeace Nordic, said: “This issue is urgent – Australia has 5.7 million tons of offshore oil and gas infrastructure to recycle – the steel equivalent of 110 Sydney Harbor Bridges and 11 more FPSOs like the Northern Endeavour. It cannot become a precedent that Australia puts the world’s oceans at risk by towing old, toxic oil and gas industry waste halfway across the world to Denmark.
“Of course these offshore structures should be decommissioned; leaving rusting industrial equipment to rot at sea poses serious and long-lasting environmental threats. But there is a safer solution than towing a 274 meter toxic rust bucket 17,000 kilometers across vulnerable international waters to Denmark. Australia must build its own recycling center.”
Greenpeace Australia Pacific is renewing its calls for a decommissioning hub in Western Australia.
Geoff Bice, WA Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “The Northern Endeavour is a prime example of why oil and gas companies can not be trusted with our oceans, and why the Australian Government needs to establish a local decommissioning industry.
“In this case, gas corporation Woodside shirked its responsibilities and sold the Northern Endeavour to a company that could not afford to properly decommission it. The government then chose to ship the vessel, including the toxic waste onboard, halfway across the planet for decommissioning rather than deal with it at home.
“Australia must stop outsourcing the decommissioning of fossil fuel infrastructure and commit to a local industry. Maritime workers and local businesses would benefit from the sustainable jobs going their way, and Australia would seize a major untapped source of scrap steel – 5.7 million tons worth.
“Strong regulation and investment in local decommissioning would reduce risks to marine environments, prevent operators from delaying or avoiding the responsibility of decommissioning their infrastructure, and ensure industrial waste is not left to corrode in the ocean.”