Radioactivity risk on Angolan ship to Turkey stirs debate

Plans to dismantle of an oil refining ship, which operated off Angola for many years, in Turkey's Aegean province of ?zmir have stirred debate over radioactivity claims, with a profession chamber strongly reacting. The ship, named Kuito, was loaded with radioactive material, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said at a Feb. 2 press meeting in front of the Ship Dismantling Facility in the town of Alia?a, the final destination of the ship.

"Once the ship anchors in Alia?a, it will be very difficult to send it back to Angola," said Baran Bozo?lu, the head of the chamber, in his warning.

The ship should be halted off Alia?a and carefully inspected, he said, as a group of environmentalists lent their support to him.

However, the Environment and Urban Ministry said in a statement on the issue that Turkey has obeyed the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, and there were no legal applications to the ministry on the operation on Kuito, as it would be returned in case of any irregularity.

The initial radioactivity cleaning assessment of the ship in November last year was not negative and a second inspection by the U.K.s Aberdeen Radiation confirmed the initial report, the statement read.
The ministry said the ship will be anchored for tests off Alia?a and inspected by a large team before it is granted permission.

The chamber has asked for a 60-day inspection instead of mobile checks of a few hours.

Kuito is being pulled by a trailer named Uranus, Bozo?lu said, claiming radioactivity findings were fivefold of the normal values, contradicting the government's information.

The ship circled around the Greek island...