More than 200 World War II-vintage navy ships lie at anchor in the James River in Virginia, in Suisun Bay in California, and elsewhere. They are riddled with asbestos, mercury, polyvinyl chloride, and other dangerous substances.

Over the Bounding Main

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Maritime Administration decided a few years back to ship a small fleet of 13 ships from the James River fleet to Teesside, England, for dismantling. This was widely seen as an effort to establish that foreign ship-breaking was the way to go, prior to shipping the bulk of the vessels to low-wage, low-environmental-standards countries like Bangladesh, China, and India.

Not So Fast

The Basel Action Network and the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed suit, pointing out, among other things, that a special permit is needed before exporting PVCs. The judge let four of the ships sail to England, where they still sit, unbroken. At the end of May 2007, the Maritime Administration annuled the contract with the British shipbreaking company. The remaining 234 ships will be dismantaled domestically, creating many domestic jobs.

Updated: June 18, 2007