Julia Horrocks

October 16, 2006

Estonia detained the oil tanker Probo Koala at the end of September, which illegally delivered 400 metric tons of toxic sludge to the Ivory Coast earlier that month. The scandal left eight Ivorian residents dead and 75,000 others wounded from exposure to the hazardous waste; Estonian officials have now begun a criminal investigation.

Trafigura, a global oil trading company based in the Netherlands, leased the tanker to deliver its waste material to Amsterdam for treatment and disposal. The receiving facility, however, did not recognize the waste and charged a higher price for treatment than Trafigura expected- a price that the company was not willing to pay.

With the permission of Dutch authorities, Trafigura took back the sludge and transported it to the Ivory Coast for cheaper disposal. Unfortunately, no high-level hazardous treatment facilities currently exist in the country. A local waste facility, Tommy, distributed the sludge among 18 open waste dumps without any prior treatment.

Thousands of nearby residents suffer from multiple symptoms, including intestinal and respiratory disorders, vomiting, nausea, blisters, complications with the nervous system, and in some cases, death. Long-term effects are still unknown. Ivorian authorities have arrested one Tommy operator and two Trafigura executives, but Trafigura maintains that it is not responsible for disposing of the hazardous waste without treatment.

For more information, please see:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/02/world/africa/02ivory.html?pagewanted=3&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fEnvironment&_r=1

http://earthhopenetwork.net/Ivory_Coast_Toxic_Tanker_Impounded_Estonia.htm