by Lloyd's List
20 August (Lloyd's List) - CONTAINER giant Maersk has agreed to return boxes suspected to contain toxic waste back to Europe.
Environmental watchdog Basel Action Network said it alerted authorities in Albania, where the cargo originated, as well as Thailand (the destination) that the containers were believed to be filled with toxic steel furnace dust collected from pollution control filters.
A spokesperson for Maersk said 40 containers unloaded from UK-flagged, 2022-built, 15,000 teu Maersk Campton (IMO: 9924211) at Singapore would be repatriated to Albania.
The same approach would be taken with a further 60 containers on board 2022-built, UK-flagged, 15,000 teu Maersk Candor (IMO: 9924223), which are headed for Singapore.
The spokesperson said Maersk was transporting the cargo on behalf of the Mediterranean Shipping Co. Lloyd’s List approached MSC for comment but did not receive a reply.
BAN said the cargo was transported from Albania to Trieste, Italy, where it was loaded. The group said that because the exporting country (Albania), importing country (Thailand) and transit countries did not authorise the transport, then Maersk could be in breach of the Basel Convention, a UN treaty which governs the transport of hazardous waste.
BAN executive director Jim Puckett wrote to Maersk’s head of corporate sustainability and ESG Lene Bjorn-Sepa, to thank Maersk for its decision and to applaud its “courage and leadership”.
The group has also called for 115 containers it claims Maersk transported from Albania to China in April 2024 to be repatriated.
