Ahmedabad:
Platinum 11, a Luxury Liner is likely to be dismantled at the Alang shipyard in Gujarat, after all.
The Gujarat government said there was no hazardous or toxic material on-board the ship, an allegation made by environmentalists. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board says the ship's cargo includes high levels of asbestos, and some chemical paints, all of which can be safely treated at the Alang shipyard, according to the Supreme Court's guidelines. It's up to the central government to decide whether to allow the ship to now be dismantled at Alang.
Environmentalists have been arguing that the ship contains radioactive material, and should not have been allowed to anchor at the Gujarat coast earlier this month.
The Platinum 11 is of US origin, and was parked at the Dubai coast for more than a year. Two American companies were fined by the US government for moving it into international waters, without decontaminating it of toxic materials.
Indian environmentalists claim that the country is being treated like a dump yard for radioactive materials. There are reports that the ship's name changed several times in the last few years to avoid being tracked for its toxic substances.