Kenya blocks nuclear waste ship destined for Tanzania

 

David Montoute

25/12/21

On December 20th, Kenyan media reported on a a Danish-flagged ship that had been quarantined in the port of Mombasa a week earlier. After routine scanning, a 20-foot container was detected emitting high radiation levels and found to be loaded with nuclear waste.The cargo on board the ship had been disguised as padlocks and other hardware but was seized after Kenya's Health ministry raised the alarm.

After the health of the port and crew was examined, a multi-agency team was brought together to determine how best to handle the cargo. A source in the team revealed that some amongst wanted to release the ship to its destination, while others feared that Tanzanian authorities might not have had the capacity to detect or dispose of the waste and could end up exposing more people to the hazard. Finally, the Kenyan government ordered the ship back to its port of origin at Navi Mumbai in India. Nairobi defended its decision by invoking the Bamako Convention which bans the import into Africa of any hazardous materials.

The toxic consignment had arrived at Mombasa aboard the MV Seago Piraeus which came from Salalah in Oman. The vessel had been destined for Zanzibar via where the island's authorities have now begun investigations to discover who is linked to the attempted importation of radioactive materials. Legal action is planned against anyone involved. Meanwhile, mainland Tanzanian authorities issued a statement saying the vessel had been diverted to Oman.

A long term threat

Illegal dumping of toxic waste on the East African coast by developed nations operated for many years with practical impunity. Italian parliamentary investigations in the 1990s pointed to the national and international trafficking in radioactive waste, managed by business and criminal lobbies, which are believed to operate with the tacit approval of institutions and governments of the European Union and beyond.

Neighbouring Somalia, with the weakest central government and the most chaotic social order, has generally been the worst affected. Unlike Kenya, Somalia has no capability to scientifically evaluate claims of nuclear waste dumping, nor to engage in containment or clean up. It was here that an Italian ‘ecomafia’ linked to the 'Ndrangheta began exploiting Somalia’s state collapse in 1991 to secretly dump radioactive waste in its territorial waters. Whilst these incidents have declined, in part due to exposure by groups such as Greenpeace, they nevertheless continue to occur.

Kenya's vigilance, therefore, serves the longer term interests and wellbeing of the whole East African region.