Costa de la Luz
New Flame scrap is not radioactive
By h.b. - Apr 8, 2008 - 5:52 PM
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The scrap metal recovered so far from the wreck of the New Flame cargo vessel, lying off Europa Point in Gibraltar, and taken to San Roque by a Spanish salvage company show no signs of any radioactivity.
The Environment department of the Junta de Andalucía has tested the scrap metal which has been removed from the wreck of the ship so far, and the Government Sub Delegate from the Junta for the Campo de Gibraltar area, Rafael España, confirmed that ‘the composition of the metals is normal, and the radioactivity indexes are zero’.
The owner of the salvage company, David Tapiero, has also commented that it would be impossible for the New Flame to have been transporting a cargo of 42,000 tons of scrap as had been claimed. He estimated the capacity of the ship at no more than 25,000 tons.
Meanwhile some material from the hull of the ship remains impounded by the customs in two lorries, as investigations are carried out to see whether the salvage firm has the correct licences in place for the importation of such waste. The firm meanwhile claims the recovery of the scrap is more costly than its worth, estimating the cost at 14 million €.
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