Challenge Mounted to French Warship Dismantling

[Doug.Goodall]

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 3 Sep 11:11 EDT (15:11 GMT)
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3705149&c=EUR&s=SEA

LONDON - Environmental advocates said Sept. 3 they would go to the courts in a bid to stop an asbestos-contaminated French aircraft carrier from being broken up in Britain.

The 32,700-ton Clemenceau, once the pride of the French navy, has spent the past five years being moved around the globe as officials tried to find a final resting place for the vessel, which contains 700 tons of asbestos.

It is my understanding that asbestos is still in limited use for certain industrial applications where nothing else would do. I wonder why they don't recover the asbestos and recycle it. Seven hundred tons is quite a bit; it should be economical to get the asbestos from the ship rather that mine more of it.

My guess is the French will just sink the ship in deep water in the Atlantic.

[hunter]

1. They could pretend to refurbish it and give it to some developing nation...

... for the "common defense" of course.

Then the French could feign surprise when that nation hauled it up on the beach and cut it apart by hand for scrap, asbestos and all.