EXCERPT:
Toxic Waste Ship Sunk by the Mafia Found in Italy - At Least 32 More Suspected
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 09.15.09
Somewhere out there are more toxic waste ships waiting to be found. Photo: Peter Rohleder via flickr.
This may sound like a pretty good TV crime show plot, but this is non-fiction: Reuters reports that Italian authorities have discovered a ship containing 180 barrels of toxic waste (some of which may be radioactive), which was purposely sunk by the Mafia, off Italy's southern coast. What's more, it's suspected there are 32 more vessels waiting to be found:
The ship was discovered after a former member of the 'Ndrangheta organized crime organization tipped off police -- the informant was personally responsible for sinking this ship and two others.
The 360'-long vessel is about 18 miles off the coast of Calabria, in 1600' of water. Based on TV images, at least one barrel has fallen off the ship and it now empty on the sea floor.
Since tighter environmental regulations in the 1980s, illegal dumping of toxic waste has been embraced by the Mafia as another lucrative income stream.
Mafia Has Used Somalia As Dumping Ground for 20 Years
Here's the broader connection here: Since the 1990s the Mafia have been known to dump toxic waste in the waters off Somalia -- where the utter lack of government means it costs one-tenth that of dumping in Europe. In 2004, toxic and radioactive waste washed up on Somali beaches, causing illness in local people. This toxic waste dumping is also cited by local fisherman as contributing to declining fish stocks in the region, thereby pushing people to piracy.
More: Reuters
Toxic Waste
More on Toxic Waste Dumping & Illegal Fishing Helping Get Us Into a Piracy Mess in Somalia
Guns? In Naples, the Mafia Kills With Toxic Waste
Short Documentary Shows Toxic Trail of "Recycled" E-Waste Leads Overseas
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE58E38K20090915?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
EXCERPT:
Italy finds wreck of toxic waste ship sunk by mafia
ROME | Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:57am EDT
ROME (Reuters) - Italian authorities have found the wreck of a ship sunk by the mafia with 180 barrels of toxic waste on board, one of more than 30 such vessels believed to lie off Italy's southern coast, officials said on Tuesday.
Following a lead from a mafia turncoat, investigators used a remote-controlled submersible to film the 110-meter (360-feet) long vessel on Saturday, around 28 km (18 miles) from the coast of the southwestern Italian region of Calabria.
The ship, which officials say may even contain radioactive elements, lay in 500 meters (yards) of water in the Tyrrhenian sea. TV images showed at least one barrel had fallen from its damaged hull and lay empty on the seabed.
"There could be problems of toxins and heavy metals ... this is an issue for the whole international community," said Silvestro Greco, head of Calabria's environment agency.
The ship's location was revealed by Francesco Fonti, an ex-member of Calabria's feared 'Ndrangheta crime group, who confessed to using explosives to sink this vessel and two others.
Greco said investigators believed there were 32 ships carrying toxic waste sunk by the mafia since the introduction of tighter environmental legislation in the 1980s made illegal waste disposal a lucrative business for crime groups.
"The Mediterranean is 0.7 percent of the world's seas. If in this tiny portion there are more than 30 (toxic waste) shipwrecks, imagine what there could be elsewhere," he said.
(Reporting by Antonio Denti and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Louise Ireland)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5461941.ece
EXCERPT:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/toxic-waste-dumping-illegal-fishing-helping-get-us-into-piracy-mess-in-somalia.php
EXCERPT:
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY
A U.S. Navy rescue and assistance team travels to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to the crew of the Taiwanese-flagged fishing trawler Ching Fong Hwa. Photo: Navy.mil
When Brian wrote about the connection between overfishing and piracy in Somalia he got mostly pilloried in the comments. So, I'm going to lead by saying that no one is advocating piracy, or that strong measures shouldn't be taken to prevent it, but failing to look at the origins of the problem will only lead to defeat.
In that light, Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! just did a good interview with Mohamed Abshir Waldo, in which he goes into detail about how toxic dumping and illegal fishing have led to the current situation. Here are some excerpts:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0713/Ndrangheta-Mafia-undone-Italy-arrests-300-in-huge-crackdown
The 360'-long vessel is about 18 miles off the coast of Calabria, in 1600' of water. Based on TV images, at least one barrel has fallen off the ship and it now empty on the sea floor.
Since tighter environmental regulations in the 1980s, illegal dumping of toxic waste has been embraced by the Mafia as another lucrative income stream.
Mafia Has Used Somalia As Dumping Ground for 20 Years
Here's the broader connection here: Since the 1990s the Mafia have been known to dump toxic waste in the waters off Somalia -- where the utter lack of government means it costs one-tenth that of dumping in Europe. In 2004, toxic and radioactive waste washed up on Somali beaches, causing illness in local people. This toxic waste dumping is also cited by local fisherman as contributing to declining fish stocks in the region, thereby pushing people to piracy.
More: Reuters
Toxic Waste
More on Toxic Waste Dumping & Illegal Fishing Helping Get Us Into a Piracy Mess in Somalia
Guns? In Naples, the Mafia Kills With Toxic Waste
Short Documentary Shows Toxic Trail of "Recycled" E-Waste Leads Overseas
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE58E38K20090915?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
EXCERPT:
Italy finds wreck of toxic waste ship sunk by mafia
ROME | Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:57am EDT
ROME (Reuters) - Italian authorities have found the wreck of a ship sunk by the mafia with 180 barrels of toxic waste on board, one of more than 30 such vessels believed to lie off Italy's southern coast, officials said on Tuesday.
Following a lead from a mafia turncoat, investigators used a remote-controlled submersible to film the 110-meter (360-feet) long vessel on Saturday, around 28 km (18 miles) from the coast of the southwestern Italian region of Calabria.
The ship, which officials say may even contain radioactive elements, lay in 500 meters (yards) of water in the Tyrrhenian sea. TV images showed at least one barrel had fallen from its damaged hull and lay empty on the seabed.
"There could be problems of toxins and heavy metals ... this is an issue for the whole international community," said Silvestro Greco, head of Calabria's environment agency.
The ship's location was revealed by Francesco Fonti, an ex-member of Calabria's feared 'Ndrangheta crime group, who confessed to using explosives to sink this vessel and two others.
Greco said investigators believed there were 32 ships carrying toxic waste sunk by the mafia since the introduction of tighter environmental legislation in the 1980s made illegal waste disposal a lucrative business for crime groups.
"The Mediterranean is 0.7 percent of the world's seas. If in this tiny portion there are more than 30 (toxic waste) shipwrecks, imagine what there could be elsewhere," he said.
(Reporting by Antonio Denti and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Louise Ireland)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5461941.ece
EXCERPT:
January 7, 2009
Leon Panetta attached to his Italian roots
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/toxic-waste-dumping-illegal-fishing-helping-get-us-into-piracy-mess-in-somalia.php
EXCERPT:
More on Toxic Waste Dumping & Illegal Fishing Helping Get Us Into a Piracy Mess in Somalia: Some Background Info
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.15.09
A U.S. Navy rescue and assistance team travels to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to the crew of the Taiwanese-flagged fishing trawler Ching Fong Hwa. Photo: Navy.mil
When Brian wrote about the connection between overfishing and piracy in Somalia he got mostly pilloried in the comments. So, I'm going to lead by saying that no one is advocating piracy, or that strong measures shouldn't be taken to prevent it, but failing to look at the origins of the problem will only lead to defeat.
In that light, Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! just did a good interview with Mohamed Abshir Waldo, in which he goes into detail about how toxic dumping and illegal fishing have led to the current situation. Here are some excerpts:
Toxic, Nuclear Waste Dumping Has Happened Since the 70s
Goodman asked Waldo to elaborate on the origins of toxic dumping. For many TreeHugger readers this may well be the first they've heard of this in Somalia,
Europeans, Chinese, Russians, Koreans, Others All Illegally Fish Somali Waters
Brian gave a good rundown of what how fishing and piracy are connected in this instance, but Mohamed Abshir Waldo lays out who is involved in this illegal fishing,
More: Democracy Now! Somali Piracy Began in Response to Fishing and Toxic Dumping by Western Ships off Somali Coast
If you really want to dig deeper, here is Mohamed Abshir Waldo's paper on the subject, from January of this year: The Two Piracies In Somalia: Why the World Ignores the Other?
Overfishing, Piracy
How Overfishing Almost Got Capt. Phillips Killed by Pirates
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Will Be Gone in 3 Years At Current Fishing Rates
Global Fisheries Hit by Climate Change and Overfishing
Goodman asked Waldo to elaborate on the origins of toxic dumping. For many TreeHugger readers this may well be the first they've heard of this in Somalia,
Well, toxic dumping, industrial waste dumping, nuclear dumping, as you are probably aware and have heard and many people know, for quite some time, in the ’70s mainly, in the ’80s, in the ’90s, there was a lot of waste of all these kinds that companies wanted to get rid of, following very strict environmental rules in their countries. So where else to take but in countries in conflict or weak countries who could not prevent them or who could be bought? So these wastes have been carried to Somalia. It’s been in the papers. It has been reported by media organizations like Al Jazeera, I think, like CNN. Many had reported about the Mafia, Italian Mafia, who admitted it, dumping it in Somalia for quite some time, for quite a long time.
And as we speak now, I heard yesterday, in fact, another vessel was captured in the Gulf of Aden by community—this time not pirates, by the community, when the suspected it, and it was carrying two huge containers, which it dumped into the sea when they saw these people coming to them. They have been apprehended. The vessel had been apprehended. Fortunately, the containers did not sink into the sea, but they are being towed to the coast. And this community has invited the international community to come and investigate this matter. So far, we don’t have action.
Europeans, Chinese, Russians, Koreans, Others All Illegally Fish Somali Waters
Brian gave a good rundown of what how fishing and piracy are connected in this instance, but Mohamed Abshir Waldo lays out who is involved in this illegal fishing,
The countries engaged include practically all of southern Europe, France, Spain, Greece, UK. Nowadays I hear even Norway. There were not many Scandinavians before, but Norwegian fishing now is involved in this, you know, very profitable fishing business. So, there are others, of course. There are Russian. There are Taiwanese. There are Philippines. There are Koreans. There are Chinese. You know, it’s a free-for-all coast.
And to make things worse, we learned that now that the navies and the warships are there; every country is protecting their own illegal fishing piracies—vessels. They have come back. They ran away from the Somali volunteer guards, coast guards, but now they are back. And they are being protected by their navies. In fact, they are coming close to the territorial waters to harass again the fishermen, who no longer have opportunity or possibility to fish on the coast because of the fear of being called pirates and apprehended by the navy, who are at the same time protecting the other side.
So the issue is really a matter of tremendous injustice, international community only attending and talking and coming to the rescue of the—of their interests and not at all considering or looking from the Somalis’ side. This does not mean I am condoning or anyone is condoning piracy or endangering the life of innocent sailors and crews or damaging the property of others, but these people, these fishermen-turned-pirates, had no alternative but to protect themselves, to protect their turf, to—you know, an act of desperation, you might call it.
More: Democracy Now! Somali Piracy Began in Response to Fishing and Toxic Dumping by Western Ships off Somali Coast
If you really want to dig deeper, here is Mohamed Abshir Waldo's paper on the subject, from January of this year: The Two Piracies In Somalia: Why the World Ignores the Other?
Overfishing, Piracy
How Overfishing Almost Got Capt. Phillips Killed by Pirates
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Will Be Gone in 3 Years At Current Fishing Rates
Global Fisheries Hit by Climate Change and Overfishing
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0713/Ndrangheta-Mafia-undone-Italy-arrests-300-in-huge-crackdown
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