# Probo Koala



## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

From Reuters - 

_A United Nations human rights investigator on Thursday called for Ivory Coast to fully probe toxic waste unloaded by a ship, saying it should lead to prosecutions of those responsible and compensation for victims.

The statement was issued by Okechkwu Ibeanu, U.N. special rapporteur on adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights.

Ivory Coast's Health Ministry said nearly 16,000 people had been made ill by fumes from the Panamanian-registered ship's poisonous fuel slops, deposited at open-air sites around the economic capital, Abidjan, in August. Six people have died.

"It is of utmost importance that a fair, impartial and independent investigation is carried out to determine the chain of responsibility which has lead to this catastrophe," Ibeanu said in a statement issued in Geneva.

The inquiry must uncover the origin of the toxic product, the country that exported the waste, any private companies involved in its transport and dumping, and "the responsibilities of officials and oversight institutions", according to the Nigerian expert.

Those responsible should be prosecuted, he said. "It is equally important to compensate the victims and their families."

He said there was a strong suggestion that "the side effects of this pollution will continue to adversely affect the human rights of peoples of the region over a very long period".

Ivorian state prosecutor Raymond Tchimou told Reuters seven Ivorians and one Nigerian had been arrested in connection with the dumping and were being held in Abidjan's main prison. Public outcry over the dumped toxic sludge forced the war-divided West African state's government to resign last week. _

Rushie


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## Richard Green (Apr 9, 2006)

Just heard on the radio this morning that the Ivorian transport minister has been beaten up by an angry crowd and quite seriously damaged.....


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

Yes, and even in a war torn country run by maniacs the Government have been forced to stand down over this.!

Rushie


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Update 19/09*

From the Baltic Times, Latvia - 

_A toxic waste-carrying vessel dubbed the ‘death ship’ has docked in the Estonian port of Paldiski.
The Probo Koala has been held responsible for unloading toxic waste on the Ivory Coast in August, triggering an environmental catastrophe that killed at least six people and made thousands ill.
The toxic waste – a mix of hydrogen sulphide and organochloride - was transferred from the ship to dump sites around the Ivorian port city of Abidjan. The incident has forced the government of Ivory Coast to resign.
The same ship tried to unload 450 tons of a similar cargo in Amsterdam, however the discharge was halted following complaints about the noxious smell and a disagreement over docking fees.
The ship docked in Paldiski last week and was inspected by the Estonian Maritime Administration and environmental inspectors, who did not detect any shortcomings. 
The Estonian Maritime Administration said there were no known plans for the Probo Koala to unload waste in Estonia._

Rushie


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Update from the Houston Times 27/09*

_Authorities in Ivory Coast asked Estonia to hold a tanker that left hundreds of tons of toxic waste in the West African nation's main city, as another death was attributed to the foul-smelling substance on Tuesday.

A judge heading the commission investigating the chemical waste scandal sent a written request to Estonia to detain the ship and "put it at our disposal for the investigation," a justice ministry official said.

Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace prevented the oil tanker Probo Koala from leaving the port of Paldiski, Estonia, on Monday, demanding that authorities impound the ship.

The health ministry said an eighth victim died because of the waste, which was shipped to the commercial capital of Abidjan last month by a Netherlands-based commodities trader and dumped in ditches, alongside roads, and on the main garbage dump by a local contractor.

Hospitals in Abidjan have provided free consultations to 80,000 people, many of them complaining of nausea, headaches and breathing difficulties caused by the fumes. The number of people seeking treatment has started to level off, a health ministry official said.

U.N. experts said last week the waste contained a chemical called hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a pungent smell of rotten eggs and in high doses can kill.

The Dutch company, Trafigura Beheer BV, says the ship's cargo consisted of regular "washings" with little or no toxicity.

Trafigura's director Claude Dauphin and another executive were jailed in Ivory Coast last week and charged with poisoning and breaking toxic waste laws, after they went to the country to distribute medicines and assist authorities with an investigation.

A number of local officials have also been arrested, along with the Nigerian owner of the contracting company that dumped the waste.

A clean-up operation led by a French waste removal company went into its second week as the smell dissipated at most sites around the city._

Rushie


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

report in the New York Times to-day mentions a ship the PROBO KOALA. as being in Amsterdam July 2nd,seems it was in the Med.collecting oil slops and such,and was due to discharge it in Amsterdam,however the slops were to have found to be to toxic to work,it seem that in the end it was discharged in the IVory Coast where reports of eight deaths are blamed on the discharged slops,anyone with anymore info.on this?? or read about it


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Afternon Dom, 
firstly I sometimes cant figure our new system. Went to do some research and your thread had moved because I had read it. Very odd. however here is a load of info for you.

Probo Koala 
IMO 8309816
Callsign - 3FOG9.
Type - OBO
Tonnage - 47,977
Built - OCT 1988.
Flag - Panamanian.

Photo attached by Duke of shipspotting.com.

This is a story of true horror. Google on the following web pages and you will have the story and all its corruption. It does not make good reading but it shows what greed and money do.
www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,437842,00.html
Sorry checked this out but it just sends you to there home page. Google - Probo Koala and it should be the first thing that comes up.

Regards
Hawkey01(MAD)


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## Thamesphil (Jul 22, 2005)

The following from Tradewinds:

Quote: Prime Marine Management of Greece responded to media claims that the Panamanian-flag, 38,000-dwt Probo Koala (built 1989) had been held this week in a criminal investigation by saying it was not under arrest.

The crew, Prime says, are being interviewed "as to their observations of the discharge operation in Abidjan" and the company's lawyers in Estonia say the ship has not been arrested by local authorities "or any other party".

The combination carrier is on a two-year charter to commodities trader Trafigura until November and Prime retains management until then, although it was sold in a six-ship deal to Gulf Navigation in June for $136m en bloc.

Estonian state prosecutors are widely reported as having arrested the ship and to have issued a statement in which they claim "remains of environmentally dangerous, poisonous chemicals were found in the tanker's waste water".

The statement adds that the ship will remain in the port "as long as proceedings require".

The Probo Koala has also been the focus of environmentalist actions, with the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise trying to prevent it leaving the port and protesters chaining themselves to the vessel before being arrested by police.

The Ivorian government is also said to have asked Estonia to detain the ship in connection with its own enquiry into the slops scandal.

The ship and Trafigura have been embroiled in a controversy over the alleged dumping of hundreds of tonnes of slops in Abidjan last month, following a dispute in Amsterdam with a waste-disposal outfit, Amsterdam Port Services, which Trafigura claims had refused to handle the slops after taking samples.

Trafigura has strenuously denied claims the slops were toxic and says tests carried out by an independent laboratory showed they contained only water and mercaptan sulphur, with no trace of the hydrogen sulphide alleged to been in the dumped material and the cause of at least eight deaths and thousands of people taken ill.

Two Trafigura executives were arrested in Abidjan last week as they tried to board a plane for Paris.
Unquote.

Hawkey: Why do you claim that this is due to 'corruption' and 'greed' seeing as nothing has yet been proved? Do you have insider knowledge?


Thamesphil


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Check out following thread...*

Toxic waste kills 6 and makes 16000 ill in the News section - last post was by me on 27/09.

The ship is currently in an Estonian port, and is being blocked in by Greenpeace activists.

The Dutch company deny all knowledge of the waste being toxic....ho....hummm.

It even led to the forced resignation of the Ivory Coast military Government...so it must be bloomin' horrendous.

Rushie


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

thanks for all that info. everybody my son put me onto the newa artical,horrific reading


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Morning Thamesphil,
No insider knowledge but just making my own personal asumptions on what I have read in the reports. The company at the center of this story "Trafigura",
have already been in trouble with the US authorities in the past. After reading the Spiegel reports I think that my comments although as I reiterate are my own, seem to be valid. I do not believe everything that I read in print as often there is alot of padding and certain thing, which are not true are printed. 
The Dutch authorities refused the vessel to discharge this waste ashore to what was not the correct facility. The owners/ship were offerred the correct facilities to dispose of the waste in a safe manner. This was refused on cost grounds.

The Estonian authorities were advised by their Dutch counterparts that the ship had dangerous cargo aboard. They refused its discharge. The ship then loaded an additional cargo and headed to the Ivory Coast. Strange that Trafigura had set up a company there not too long before the ship arrived. The ship then reportedly discharged this waste into road tankers which then dumped it in areas around the city of Abidjan, Also according to the report some officials in the Ivory Coast were also aware of and part of the whole dumping scandal. 

So after reading these reports I made the asumptions that there was a lot of greed and corruption going on. Maybe I am wrong but time will tell.
Also reading other comments the Ivory Coast authorities have arrested some directors of Trafigura - I rest my case.
Regards
Hawkey01


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Update*

From the BBC - 

_The ship was blocked in Estonia by environmental group Greenpeace 
The ship at the centre of a toxic waste scandal which has killed at least 10 people in Ivory Coast has been given permission to leave Estonia. 
The Probo Koala sailed for the Baltic after more than 500 tonnes of waste from its tanks was dumped at several sites in Abidjan in August. 

The Dutch firm which chartered the ship said it had contracted an Ivorian company to dispose of the material. 

The ship was impounded in Estonia at the request of the Ivorian authorities. 

Greenpeace environmentalists had also pressed the Estonian government to take action, and blocked the ship in harbour at Paldiski with one of their own vessels. 

A spokeswoman for the Estonian prosecutor's office said that while the vessel remained the subject of a criminal investigation, all the necessary evidence had been gathered and it was free to sail. 

Trafigura, the Dutch charter firm, has said the Probo Koala "followed all correct procedures when it offloaded slops at Abidjan". _

Rushie


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Ship free to leave the US*

From the Herald and Tribune - 

_An Egyptian freighter has finally been allowed to leave Charleston Harbor.

"She's good to go," said Jimmy Lucas, the vessel's court-appointed custodian, as he watched her pull away Friday morning.

The ordeal for the ship The Edco and its 29 crew members began in June when a lawsuit about a sister ship, The Edco Star, kept the empty 635-foot (193-meter) Edco from leaving until the ship's owner could satisfy creditors. U.S. visa requirements and forced the crew to stay on board.

There were health issues, including a heart attack suffered by the captain. He was taken ashore and treated at the Medical University of South Carolina hospital and returned to the ship.

While the ship stayed in port, it racked up even more debt for the company, including about $400,000 (€318,700) owed to the State Ports Authority, mostly for dockage and security. Ports Authority spokesman Byron Miller said that includes a $40,000 (€31,870) fine because the ship refused to leave the state dock as Tropical Storm Ernesto blew by in late August.

On Friday, the owners paid back about $270,000 (€215,100) of those expenses, Miller said.

The Coast Guard said the Edco's next stop is Cartagena, Colombia, where it is expected to undergo more repairs._

Rushie


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## Brad (Oct 11, 2006)

The sad part about this is that the ship is blamed where the issue is not so simple. the vessel discharged tank cleaning slops which were then disposed off by the shore contractor in an inappropriate manner. 

the media makes out that the vessel is somehow responsible. if anything it points out the need for ports to ensure they supply adequate facilitiues for the removal of ships waste, which under MARPOL, they are required to do and in many cases fail miserably. How can the ships crew, or indeed her management, know what happens to waste products after they are discharged to shore facilities? The vessel is only responsible in so far as they did generate the waste. The vessels managers could have made a more informed chioce as to where they discharged the waste, but where does a companies responsibility end? shoud they be auditing every contractor they hire to ensure there is nothing that will come back on them?

MARPOL is full of holes like this, which are not dealt with. it imposes very strict legislation on ships, which are well meant, but when the chain goes to shore side it fails. Take the example of the new SECA areas being introduced in EUrope, where low sulpher fuels have to be burnt by all ships passing through the area, in an effort to reduce harmful emissions. First, low sulfer fuels are quite difficult to obtain (currently only a small demand) so there is a problem with the follow through there, and you have to ask yourself - will burning low sulpher fuel oils actually make any difference? the air is not unclean in those areas because of emissions from ships. it is mostly motor traffic, industry and aircraft that are the significant contributors. 

Its all very nice to be part of an industry that is leading in these areas, but ships will always been seen as easy targets for the media, no matter what we do, and especially on issues regarding waste and pollution like this.

thats my rant for the day.(Hippy)


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## Brad (Oct 11, 2006)

Here is the link for the vessels details (Q88 form) - scary about the details you can get. shows all the port state contol inspections, masters telephone number blah blah blah.

https://www.q88.com/DesktopDefault....013CC8A72224BF8A46DD9B966C&vessel=Probo+Koala


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## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

*Toxic ship sued*

From the BBC - 

_A Dutch lawyer representing some 1,000 victims of toxic waste dumped in Ivory Coast says he is suing the company that shipped the waste there. 
Dutch firm Trafigura has denied responsibility for dumping the waste in the city of Abidjan, saying it employed a local company to dispose of it. 

But the lawyer says Trafigura should pay $12.5m within two weeks as a preliminary settlement. 

Ten people died and many thousands more needed treatment after the dumping. 

About 40,000 people were treated in hospital for nausea, breathing problems and nosebleeds. 

Charges 

Correspondents say other legal teams are preparing cases against the people that handled the waste. 

"Trafigura is responsible because they knew what it [the waste] was or they should have known," Dutch lawyer Bob van der Goen told Reuters news agency. 


Instead of being incinerated the waste was dumped 
"They should have known that Ivory Coast couldn't process this waste. They should have known the danger for people and the environment." 

Journalist Pauline Bax in Abidjan says the lawyer believes this is just a preliminary claim and the real amount will be much higher. 

Ten people, including two French Trafigura executives, have been charged in connection with the discharge. 

Trafigura first attempted to discharge the chemical slops, which contains mercaptan, from one of its tankers, the Probo Koala in the Dutch port of Amsterdam in early August. 

But the company that was to dispose of the waste suddenly increased its charges dramatically - asking for 40 times more to treat the waste. 

Trafigura refused, and the tanker proceeded to Nigeria. 

There it tried to offload the waste, but again failed to reach an agreement with two local firms. 

It was only in Ivory Coast that it managed to find a company to handle the waste at a cost the company would accept. 

On 19 August the waste was discharged near Abidjan. Two weeks later the first complaints arose. 

Instead of being incinerated as it should have been, the waste had been dumped. _

Even more remarkable is that a Dutchman is suing the Dutch...!!

Rushie


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## non descript (Nov 18, 2005)

I have merged the three threads into one for ease of reference. - It is certainly a sad tale and I wonder what really went on. The idea of pumping out and then apparently having the "cargo" pumped back on board again, is more than a little odd.

As I have little knowledge of such tanker operations it would be most unwise of me to speculate, but as a cynical observer of life, I do hope that there was not a _Maritime Sting_….. if would be too silly for words to suggest that anyone would ever pump something in one direction and then, for reasons unknown, have the operation reversed and be made to inadvertently take back on board something a little different. It would quite wrong to suggest that this happened here.


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