Hazardous waste is being dumped in an old shipyard with impunity, with an old 'leaking' mobile crane being the biggest problem.
Hazardous waste is being collected and dumped in a shipyard in Ajman. The waste includes chemicals, old gas containers and used oil and sludge from ships berthed at the jetty or from the boats located in the dry docks.
I am sure that those in charge are supposed to collect, store and dispose of these hazardous waste materials in a safe manner, just as their own safety policies and UAE laws dictate.
But as one can clearly see from the photographs, these people do not seem to care. Such irresponsible actions are being carried out openly, for everyone to see.
The management offices of the shipyard are situated right next to this dump site, so why don't they stop such occurrences from happening?
I have witnessed for months that a very limited amount of waste is being disposed of properly. Fork lifts are used to pick up the sludge and oil tanks, which are then just deposited in an isolated part of the shipyard.
Once the oil has emptied out on the open ground, the containers are taken back to another ship and the entire process begins again.
The ground around the site is saturated with oil, especially the dirt road that runs along the jetty, between the two dry docks.
Most of the oil pollution on the dirty road is caused by unsafe, old equipment that leaks oil. The main culprit is the large mobile crane.
This crane has so many oil leaks, it has to be 'topped up' with approximately 12 litres of oil every day. When the rainy season arrives, it washes the oil into the Ajman Creek and the oil slick is a truly disgusting sight.
How cranes are allowed to operate in such a bad state is beyond me. People's lives are at stake and such leaks are highly dangerous for marine animals. I urge the authorities to end this disaster and urge companies to practise responsible modes of operation.
The reader works in the marine industry.
