16 agos 2006 año - August 2006: Trafigura dumps toxic waste in Abidjan

Descripción:

In August 2006, toxic waste was dumped around the Sierra Leone capital, Abidjan. Within two months, nearly 100,000 people had sought medical help after experiencing symptoms like nausea, severe headaches, breathing difficulties, stinging eyes and burning skin.

500 tonnes of waste were offloaded by a ship called the Probo Koala, chartered by Trafigura. The ship had tried to offload the “slops” at numerous international ports, including Amsterdam and Lagos.

Once the ship had docked in Abidjan, a local contractor called Compagnie Tommy then dumped the waste at 12 sites around the city over the course of several weeks.

About a dozen people were said to have died as a result on the dumping.

Reports The Guardian: “An official Dutch analysis of samples of the waste carried by the Probo Koala indicate that it contained approximately 2 tonnes of hydrogen sulphide, a killer gas with a characteristic smell of rotten eggs.”

Trafigura claimed the “slops” were a mixture of “gasoline, water and caustic soda” from washing the ship’s tanks and was thus harmless, and added that residents in Abidjan had suffered the long-term effects of other dumping.

In 2007, Trafigura reached an agreement with Sierra Leone to pay USD 198 million in damages.

In September 2009, the company reached a £30 million out-of-court settlement with 30,000 claimants, represented by UK law firm Leigh Day.

A statement from the settlement says “It remains Trafigura’s position that it did not foresee, and could not have foreseen, the reprehensible acts of Compagnie Tommy in dumping the slops in and around Abidjan in August and September 2006, and that Compagnie Tommy acted entirely independently of, and without any authority from, Trafigura. Nevertheless, Trafigura regrets that this incident occurred and is pleased that the matter has now been resolved. “

Añadido al timeline:

fecha: