PRESS RELEASE - 30 September 2002

The Jolly Rubino - Questions that need answers

Three weeks ago an Italian cargo ship bearing various toxic chemicals and bunker fuel caught fire and ran aground near a UNESCO World Heritage site threatening to cause long term damage to this sensitive wetland area, beaches and ocean. Such an incident cannot be brushed over and forgotten. It raises very important concerns as well as questions which need answers:

· Who is going to be held accountable? Who is going to hold the shipping company and the chemical companies accountable for the risk and potential damage to the environment?

Why was a waste inventory not immediately available on request, when the ship ran aground? Should the South African Port authorities not have had a record of the inventory before it left Durban Harbour?

· Did the local South African companies, such as Sasol, inspect the Jolly Rubino before allowing it to transport their potentially toxic cargo?

· Was there asbestos being transported as cargo? If so, why was an European Union ship transporting a material that is banned from being used in certain EU countries?

Last month, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, groundWork and international NGO’s such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth International and local community organisations such as the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) succeeded in pressurising members of the United Nations to include Corporate Accountability in the final text. (see www.groundwork.org.za/WSSD/resolution_August_2002.htm)