Pro-Kurdish party calls to stop arrival of toxic aircraft carrier to Turkey

“The harmful substances, especially radioactivity and asbestos, which can be released by dismantling the vessel, can cause irreversible damage to both human health and the environment."
The Brazilian nuclear aircraft carrier Nae Sao Paulo (Photo: Instituto Sao Paulo/Foch).
The Brazilian nuclear aircraft carrier Nae Sao Paulo (Photo: Instituto Sao Paulo/Foch).

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) –The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on Wednesday warned against the arrival of a Brazilian toxic nuclear aircraft carrier Nae Sao Paulo in Izmir at the end of September. 

The ship with a high asbestos content departed from Brazil on 5 August 2022 and is to be dismantled in Turkey’s Aliağa in İzmir, the HDP said.

Nae Sao Paulo was used by France between 1963 and 2000 and then was sold to Brazil. Last year, Brazil decided to scrap the vessel, and it was sold to a Turkish shipbreaking company.

The HDP in a statement blamed the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization for ignoring the criticisms of environmental organizations and NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and gave clearance for dismantling of the ship on May 30.

According to environmental organisations, the movement of the ship is also illegal, violating the 1996 Izmir Protocol.

“The harmful substances, especially radioactivity and asbestos, which can be released by dismantling the vessel, can cause irreversible damage to both human health and the environment,” the HDP’s Foreign Affairs Spokespersons, Feleknas Uca & Hişyar Özsoy said.

“Various environmentalist groups and scientists have repeatedly asked the Brazilian and Turkish governments to stop the illegal movement of Nae São Paulo. Their calls have unfortunately fallen on deaf ears.”

Therefore, the HDP called upon institutions, organizations, parties, politicians and individuals for a healthy and safe environment “to take immediate action" to stop Nae Sao Paulo, "thus preventing another disaster from happening.”