India denies permission to scrap liner
The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has issued an “office memorandum” denying permission to beach and scrap the ship Platinum-II, a former U.S.-flag ocean liner named the Oceanic and, prior to that, the Independence, said maritime attorney and consultant Dennis Bryant.
The memorandum said the ship violated the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and cited allegations that the ship had been brought into India with a falsified flag and registry.
On Jan. 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release saying it had “settled an administrative complaint against Global Shipping LLC and Global Marketing Systems Inc. for alleged illegal distribution and export of a PCB-containing ship,” and that the two companies would pay $518,500 to resolve the two Toxic Substances Control Act violations.
India denies permission to scrap liner
