SC issues notice to ministry on US ship

The Supreme Court issued notice to the Shipping Ministry on a plea for grant of permission to controversial US ship Oriental Nicety,earlier known as Exxon Valdez which was involved in one of the worst oil spills off Alaska in 1986,to anchor off the Gujarat coast

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Shipping Ministry on a plea for grant of permission to controversial US ship Oriental Nicety,earlier known as Exxon Valdez which was involved in one of the worst oil spills off Alaska in 1986,to anchor off the Gujarat coast.

A vacation Bench of Justices Deepak Verma and S J Mukhopadhyaya said it would await the response of the Ministry of Shipping and Transport on the issue before passing any orders.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh,appearing for the ship owner,submitted that his client had complied with all the norms set in 1995 for de-contamination of foreign vessels before entering Indian waters or for anchoring on its coast.

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He denied the allegations that the ship contain hazardous materials.

Mondays hearing comes shortly after the Supreme Court had directed the Shipping Ministry to inform it by August 13 on the steps taken by the government to prevent dismantling of ships in India in the wake of allegations of violation of international convention on trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes.

The apex court’s direction had come on the plea of an NGO seeking ban on the entry of Nicety and restraining it from anchoring near Alang beach in Gujarat.