US Cruise Ship Poses Asbestos Danger

Article Added December 7th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

Once one of the premier cruise ships in the Port of Miami, the SS Norway is now in uncertain water. The ship needs to be dismantled, but no one wants the job due to the asbestos on board.

The blue siding of the SS Norway used to be a normal sight at the Port of Miami. After a boiler blew in 2003, however, the ship was decommissioned, and the Norway was towed to Alang, India to be broken down. Since that time, the ship has remained beached in the port of Alang as environmentalists protest the conditions in which shipyard workers break down the giants. Asbestos poisoning is everywhere in this port city, where 70% of those earning income get paid from the shipyards.

Many older ships have asbestos in them, often used as a form of insulation or fire retardant. Normally a harmless material, asbestos can become deadly when it is disturbed, such as when a ship is broken down for scrap. The Indian workers in Alang are not supplied with safety gear when working on the ships, making them high risk for asbestos diseases including mesothelioma. The American SS Norway hangs in limbo until the asbestos debate is resolved.

Article Added December 7th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story