Two ocean liners, one flying the Maltese flag, blacklisted as contaminated with toxic substances, are sailing towards Bangladesh with environmentalists expressing grave concern over the move.

The ships, Apsheron and Gudermes, are on the Greenpeace watch list of ships with the environmentalist watchdog’s spotlight on them, as they are known to be contaminated and slated for scrapping. Greenpeace is fighting against potential threats to the world’s biodiversity and environment.

Hazardous wastes such as asbestos, PCB, toxic paint and fuel residues are usually found on old ships that are regularly sent to countries like Bangladesh, India, Turkey and China for scrapping, posing a severe threat to the environment, ecology and human health.

The Malta-flagged ship, Gudermes, a sister ship of the Apsheron, was supposed to go to Alang in India. But Indian port sources have learnt that Gudermes, built in 1977, is now heading for Bangladesh as well.

According to Greenpeace, Gudermes was sold in July 2006 for delivery in Pakistan but the vessel was refused entry. The ship was sold again in November 2006 to Wirana Shipping Corp.

Gudermes was supposed to be scrapped in India, but it had not arrived at Alang by 9 January 2007. It is now expected to arrive at Chittagong today.

The price of scrap per ton from a ship is higher in Bangladesh than it is in India. A ton of scrap in India is $420 and $480 in Bangladesh.