A ship-breaking operation in Union Bay must continue following a pollution abatement order, the Environmental Appeal Board ruled last week.
Deep Water Recovery was handed the order this March after concerns were raised about the levels of copper, lead, and zinc in Union Bay. The company says it hasn’t done any ship recycling work since spring 2023, and that there’s no risk of metal levels increasing in the environment beyond background levels left by previous industrial operations.
However, recent sampling shows levels regularly exceed guidelines, even with no ship-recycling work going on. The appeal board ruled that even if the site is already contaminated by previous occupants, that doesn’t mean Deep Water is exempt from the spring pollution abatement order, which should remain in force.
