Asbestos: Indian authorities to inspect French liner for toxic materials prior to breaking

A team of Indian environment officials will inspect a former French ocean liner, the Blue Lady, to discove what toxic material it contains. The liner, which entered Indian waters last week, is anchored off Pipavav port in the western state of Gujarat.

The Blue Lady was once the pride of the French shipping industry

The ship is due to be broken up at the world's largest ship-breaking yard in Alang in Gujarat. But environmental groups have protested saying the ship contains 900 tonnes of asbestos and other toxic materials.

The Blue Lady, formerly the SS France and then the SS Norway, was once the pride of the French shipping industry with celebrity guests such as painter Salvador Dali and rock star David Bowie among its passengers. The 11-storey, 315-metre-long liner is shortly due to travel to a frequent graveyard for world shipping.

But Alang was not Blue Lady's owners first choice for break-up. Only after being banned from entering Bangladeshi breaking yards a few months ago was the ship's final desination changed to Alang.

Now Indian environmental groups say the ship's hazardous waste makes it unsuitable to be broken up in India. They say India lacks modern ship-breaking technology and breaking the vessel would be unsafe for workers who will be exposed to asbestos and other hazards on the ship.

Last month, India's Supreme Court ruled that the ship could be scrapped at Alang provided it was declared safe by experts. A spokesman for the Gujarat Pollution Control Board told the BBC that a team of inspectors would board the Blue Lady on Thursday. He said the inspection would take at least two days and that the ship would be allowed to proceed to Alang if the team cleared it.

In February, the French government recalled the decommissioned aircraft carrier Clemenceau en route to Alang after a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace and other environmental groups.

Ship-lovers and ecologists are battling to prevent the scrapping of the Blue Lady and there is also a proposal to convert the liner into a floating hotel and the France Liner Association want to see it turned into a museum.

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