Thanks to community support and the No Ship Action Group working around the clock for over a year the following items were removed from ex-HMAS Adelaide prior to scuttling:
- 23 000 square metres of fibreglass insulation
- 23 000 square metres of painted canvas covering (pictured above)
- All polyurethane insulation foam from coolrooms
- Over two tonnes of electrical cable
- Over 200 junction boxes
- All ‘exfoliating’ lead paint.
Recent update to official HMAS Adelaide website:
The additional works to comply with the Tribunal orders were completed in March 2011. On a precautionary basis, all junction boxes and remnant wiring in electrical boxes, switches, power outlets and similar equipment were removed.
Over 44 tonnes of insulation was removed, which took 25 truckloads to take away for safe disposal.
Where there was paint behind the insulation, it was generally in good condition and only very minor amounts of exfoliated or exfoliating paint needed to be removed.
http://www.hmasadelaide.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/150187/Environment_Factsheet.pdf
Many insulation items tested positive for highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the State Govt witness stated in court that insulation would be released into the ocean within five to six years.
Cool room insulation was only removed in the last weeks before scuttling because NSAG threatened to take the matter back to court if they refused to remove ‘all insulation’ as ordered by the Tribunal.
The ship contained over 200 junction boxes but as of March this year they had only removed 3. Again due to NSAG pressure the State have now indicated they removed the remaining junction boxes as the Judge ordered.
Despite these wins the ship was still sunk with over twenty tonnes of paint including four tonnes of anti fouling paint and 9 tonnes of lead based paint containing up to 2.3 tonnes of lead (lead content averages 28%)
The paint was never tested for PCBs even though the Federal Government advised it should be and PCBs were commonly added to the paint at the time of Adelaide’s construction to improve adherance and elasticity.
A large amount of plastics in fittings and furniture also remained on the vessel that is destined to become marine debris, endangering marine life and birds.
Why did a small community group have to work so hard to protect our environment from our own government?
Why was marine scientist Professor Bill Gladstone and John Asquith from the Central Coast Community Environment Network and Marine Discovery Centre happy to see the ship dumped last year with all of these toxic items still onboard?
Listen here to John Asquith and Prof Bill Gladstone’s March 2010 interview with Scott Levi on local ABC radio
