Debris from the dumped warship HMAS Adelaide collected on Avoca Beach after the big swell over the weekend (Feb 23 & 24, 2013). This marine pollution was sanctioned by the Minister for Environment Tony Bourke, Barry O'Farrell, Chris Hartcher, Gosford Council and John Asquith from the Community Environment Network, University of Newcastle and the Marine Discovery Centre. Taxpayers paid $10 million to dump this rubbish next to this beautiful beach.
Much more is washing up, this is just what one person collected on their morning walk on Saturday. When the same honeycomb aluminium started washing up on Avoca Beach six weeks after HMAS Adelaide was dumped in April 2011, Les Graham from Terrigal Dive identified it as the interior walling from the ship.
Hopefully the State Govt and the diving community will take some responsibility in the long term for cleaning up the debris released from the wreck - it is dangerous for marine life, swimmers and surfers. The community of Avoca should not have to be picking up the mess as the ship breaks down and washes up on the beach over the coming decades
Some of the money from the diving permits and dive fees should be put into a fund to clean up the mess. To deliberately dump the ship in such a high swell environment was totally irresponsible and the government and local organisations who supported it need to take responsibility for the clean up as time goes on and the wreck inevitably breaks down into the surrounding marine environment.
For more pictures and community’s response check out No Ship on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Ship/158050544229141?ref=hl
Ian McPhedran, The Herald Sun
January 3, 2013
“The government has decided that a minimal return to taxpayers for scrap is a better outcome than spending $4 million to make each ship safe for use as a dive wreck. The 8000-tonne hulks have a scrap metal value of about $2.5 million each.”
Read article
Oh buoy were we warned: ship debris on beach
June 3 2011
SHARP metal sheeting from the ex-HMAS Adelaide washed up along North Avoca Beach on the eve of World Environment Day.
Severe storms in the past week littered the beach with ship debris and broke loose two navigational buoys.
The potentially dangerous debris, with some metal sheets up to 2 metres long, marks the beginning of the predicted break-up of the ex-HMAS Adelaide.
The No Ship Action Group has kept a piece of the debris to make a sculpture.
Many supporters of the scuttling claimed the wreck would be positive for the environment and that this was an environmentally friendly sea dumping.
The sculpture will highlight the irony of dumping an ex-naval vessel into the ocean as an ‘artificial reef’ which now endangers swimmers and marine life.
No Ship Action Group warned the frigate was the wrong type of ship to sink, and that it would break up as has its identical sister ship the ex-HMAS Canberra, sunk off the Victorian coast near Geelong in October, 2009.
The Geelong ship has cracked and is already breaking up with Parks Victoria issuing a warning to divers on its website 16 months after the ship sunk.
It is less two months since the ex-HMAS Adelaide was sunk on April 13 2011 and it is already breaking up.
Divers have reported that the hull has cracked. The crack has appeared in the ship’s ‘weak spot’ as outlined by a marine engineer in a $4000 report NSAG commission in the month before the ex-HMAS was sunk in a last-minute bid to prove to authorities the ship would break up and pollute the bay. Read the report online here. http://bit.ly/fwNZFi
The report was the basis of a summons in the Land and Environment Court the day before the scuttling in what was a last-minute bid to stop the dumping. Read the Summons here http://bit.ly/kJi8EB
However, Premier Barry O’Farrell chose to ignore the report, as did Member for Terrigal Chris Hartcher.
The potentially dangerous metal sections of the ex-HMAS Adelaide made their way to the beach starting on Thursday.
One piece of aluminium sheet measuring two metres by 60cm was found in the surf zone on Thursday afternoon.
About 80 smaller sections measuring on average about 20cm by 20cm were seen strewn along the beach.
The sheet is of sandwich construction with air trapped in a honeycomb of very thin aluminium between two sheets of aluminium. The trapped air gives the sheets enough buoyancy to keep them floating
According to expert marine engineer, Werner Hoyt, “The material washing ashore are internal partitioning aluminum wall materials not removed during preparation for reefing.”
In this form with razor sharp edges it could prove deadly in the surf zone. A surfer or child struck by a thin sharp sheet this size could sustain a very serious injury.
Local surfers want answers. How many of the deadly sheets are still lurking in the surf area from Avoca Beach to North Avoca? This could be a serious hazard to marine life if ingested such as whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine creatures.
“It appears that the Adelaide is becoming the poster child of why ships should no longer be reefed,” Mr Hoyt said. “Cost of reefing is now at four times the raw cost to recycle with out counting the resource recovery. The planners failed to account for differences in construction technologies and their likely behavior when subjected to a reefing environment.”
Once again, two ex-HMAS Adelaide marker buoys broke loose in recent storms This is the second occasion buoys have broken free, this time amidst sea twisters and massive swells.
The ship wreck is just 6 metres below the surface and a serious navigational hazard right now as there are no navigational marker buoys there.
Rumour has it that one buoy washed up at Wamberal and a reward for $600 is being offered to trawler captains if they find one.
The buoy system comprises two navigational marker buoys ($16,000 each) and six mooring buoys.
April 12 2011
NO SHIP Action Group filed an 11th-hour summons at 4pm today to stop the ex-HMAS Adelaide being scuttled off Avoca Beach tomorrow morning.
Citing last-minute evidence pertaining to the breaking up of the ex-HMAS Canberra off the coast of Victoria near Geelong, the group filed a summons addressed to State Minister for Primary Industries and Minister for Environment at the Land and Environment Court.
The latest evidence was received via Freedom of Information documents on Friday afternoon. It shows the Victorian ship, which is an identical sister ship to the ex-HMAS Adelaide, has broken up largely because of corrosion inherently caused by the ship’s structure.
Additionally, the ex-HMAS Adelaide’s 23000 sq m of lead paint has not been tested for toxic PCBs despite numerous requests.
“Will Premier O'Farrell respect the court system and allow the Land and Environment Court time to decide the rights and wrongs of sinking this warship?,” a No Ship spokesperson said.
“What is wrong with waiting and letting the court decide. There are serious concerns here.
"What is one week of waiting, compared to two hundred years of pollution washing up on our beaches.”
Friday's FOI documents follow on from a $4000 report the community group received on Monday last week from a US marine engineer outlining why the ship in Victoria is breaking up so quickly.
“It turns out these frigates are the wrong type of ship to scuttle,” the NSAG spokesperson said.
“We are loathe to lodge the summons at this late and criticial stage but we had no choice. This corrosion must be looked at. We truly thought Barry O'Farrell and the Liberals meant a fresh wave of accountable, clean Governance."
"We are asking Mr O'Farrell to let the court be the umpire.”
Last year the community spent nearly $70,000 on a legal case against the NSW State Government, which spent about $1 million of taxpayers’ money fighting the residents of Avoca Beach.
Media inquiries: Michelle Meares 0439 645 372
The Basel Action Network, a global toxic trade watchdog organization, claimed victory today as the U.S. Navy confirmed it had changed its decision to scuttle the aircraft carrier USS FORRESTAL, choosing instead to have the ship recycled here in the United States.
This change followed the December 2010 release of BAN’s report “Jobs and Dollars Overboard: The Economic Case Against Dumping U.S. Naval Vessels at Sea.” BAN estimates that the recycling of the FORRESTAL will save millions of taxpayer dollars, create approximately 500 green jobs in the domestic recycling industry, and create about 1,900 jobs in the overall economy[1] for one year.
In addition to the FORRESTAL, the Navy now says it will recycle three other retired carriers: the SARATOGA, INDEPENDENCE, and CONSTELLATION. In past years, these vessels would all have been dumped at sea as artificial reefs or as part of the Navy’s costly sinking exercise program (SINKEX). For example, the aircraft carriers AMERICA and ORISKANY were both scuttled, costing taxpayers over $20 million each.
“The Obama Administration’s new plan to recycle these four aircraft carriers appears to be a signal that the Administration may be correcting long-standing misguided policies that not only squander resources, but American jobs as well,” said Colby Self, BAN’s Green Ship Recycling Campaign Director.
A big thank you to all who came and supported the No Ship Trivia Night at Avoca Surf Club.
It was a fantastic night and over $4000 was raised to stop the ship!
We very much appreciate the many businesses and individuals who donated prizes and came along to show their support to stop the dumping of the HMAS Adelaide.
In a new twist, the NSW Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the scuttling and has written to the NSW Lands and Property Management Authority asking for a please explain.
The Land and Property Management Authority has been asked by the Ombudsman’s office to explain a number of issues surrounding the scuttling including why the date was set for April 13 before the required dumping permit was issued.
The authority has 14 days to respond.
Ms Meares, who is running as an independent candidate for Terrigal in this weekend’s State Eelection, said the group wanted Lands Minister Tony Kelly and Opposition lands spokesman Brad Hazzard to put on public record - before Saturday - that the scuttling would be postponed until the Ombudsman’s investigation had been completed.
Read Full Story here Express Advocate 24-03-2011
Avoca No Ship: Ombudsman complaint
Wednesday March 23
ABOUT 30 Avoca Beach residents travelled to Sydney today to protest the Labor State Government’s planned sinking of the ex-HMAS Adelaide off Avoca Beach on April 13.
Yesterday the NSW Ombudsman issued serious questions to Warwick Watkins/Craig Abbs of the NSW Lands and Property Management Authority regarding scuttling preparations.
In light of recent questionable decisions - Lands Minister Tony Kelly’s Barangaroo call and Warwick Watkins Pittwater land purchase of Currawong - this Ombudsman investigation is critical.
Avoca Beach must not be risked. Due processes have not occurred. No Environmental Impact Statement was done. 23000 sq metres of lead paint is on this ship, it’s paint has not been tested for PCBs, proper wave and sand erosion studies have not been done. The 4000-tonne ship has 2100 tonnes of steel and alumuninium which could be recycled at Garden Island. An identical sister ship, the ex-HMAS Canberra, was sunk off Geelong, Vic, in 2009 and is already breaking up.
Marine environmentalists are outraged that our Government can try to dump a rusting and toxic warship 1600 m off a pristine beach. Our Government is meant to protect us, our homes and our health - not damage them. Moreover, our Government needs to allow the proper legal channels which keep wrong decisions in check. That is, the Ombudsman’s investigation.
Avoca Beach must not be sold out like our electricity was.
Anger about Government incompetence has driven two residents to stand at the upcoming election. Independent Michelle Meares is contesting the seat of Terrigal; Independent Ben Smith is standing for the Legislative Council.
Michelle and Ben began the protest on the water at Greenwich Point, before crossing the Harbour to the Opera House, where they met with the bulk of the group bearing placards, prams and pamphlets.
The march then continued down Macquarie St, past Parliament House, where this debacle has been so badly handled, and onto Martin Place. Sydneysiders showed great support by asking for leaflets and expressing disbelief that a treasured holiday haven an hour north of Sydney was under threat.
“They wouldn’t dump a ship off Bondi,” a No Ship spokesperson said. “Avoca already has a draw card: a beautiful unspoilt beach which is reknowned for top waves on the surfing circuit. The metal should be recycled, saving money and carbons.”
Michelle Meares: 0439 645 372
Ben Smith: 0409 693 205
MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE LEAD GROUP – Thursday 10th March 2011
The planned sinking of the decommissioned frigate, ex-HMAS Adelaide off Avoca Beach by the NSW Government, should not go ahead on April 13, or at all, says Elizabeth O'Brien, President of the LEAD (Lead Education & Abatement Design) Group Inc.
“As far as my organisation is aware, there have not been adequate studies on the impact of lead on marine life or the fate of lead in the marine environment,” she said.
“Paint flakes falling off the ship over time could be washed ashore and become part of the beach sand becoming hazardous to people particularly young children who may eat beach sand. This also creates a hazard for wildlife, especially birds and bottom-feeding marine life.”
Ms O’Brien stated that “Australia is a signatory to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972, which codified the “precautionary principle”. Being a party to the convention, means that a body wishing to dump certain wastes at sea requires a permit. And permits for wastes such as vessels and bulky items including iron, steel and similar materials are limited to those circumstances where such wastes are generated at locations with no land-disposal alternatives.
“If the NSW Government has a permit under this Convention, then I would have to wonder how they obtained it, considering that there is up to 2.5 tonnes of lead in the 23,000 square metres of lead paint on the ship and Garden Island in Sydney Harbour sits ready and able to recycle the ship safely. Would anyone else be able to obtain a permit to dump 2.5 tonnes of lead waste at sea? Non-toxic artificial reef materials are also available, so that no one need be disappointed if the ship is not scuttled.
“The NSW Government may well believe that lead leaching from the sunk ship over time would not exceed the Guidelines for recreational water quality, however, The LEAD Group is still awaiting a reply from the Federal government to our December 2010 request to review the current blood lead goal downwards. Such a recognition of the weight of evidence on negative health impacts at very low blood lead levels would consequently be followed by a review of other environmental guidelines for lead, such as the permissible lead content of recreational waters.”
“Given that there is claimed to still be a vast amount of paint, containing lead, remaining on the ship - after the removal of ex-foliating and peeling paint – scuttling the ship is a risk that should not be taken.
“There is also a real possibility that the remaining paint contains polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as the ship was built in the United States, which was still using PCBs in marine paint up until it was banned for most uses in 1979. PCBs are carcinogenic and are stored in human and animal fatty tissue.”
Ms O’Brien said it was ironic that removal of Adelaide’s lead ballast, as required of ships being scuttled, makes the ship that bit safer for marine life, but has made it unsafe, in expert opinion, to make the trip up Sydney Harbour and out to sea.
“It could sink,” she said. “How much better – financially and environmentally - to dismantle the ship and recycle the paint for its lead content (at Australian Refined Alloys in Alexandria) as well as the scrap metal, etc.”
“I support the No Ship campaign in their efforts to stop the sinking.”
The Lead Education & Abatement Design Group Inc., is a non government organisation which aims to eliminate lead poisoning globally and to protect the environment from lead.
Contact: Elizabeth O’Brien, Phone mobile 04311 84933, 02 97160014 http://www.lead.org.au/
The Lead Education and Abatement Design Group
Aiming to eliminate lead poisoning globally and to ensure that the ecosystem is protected from lead in all its uses – past, current and new.
NBN TV News
10-3-2011
Warship Protesters Project their Message
Media Release - March 10 Thursday 2011
TWENTY Avoca Beach residents joined with the Wilderness Society for a projection protest-cum-fundraiser in Sydney Harbour last night in the run-up to the NSW State Election.
“Labor dumps. Will Liberals Recycle?” was one of the messages projected onto the side of the ex-HMAS Adelaide which is docked at Glebe Island where she is undergoing further removal of toxic items following the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruling.
Messages included “I could sink enroute at Manly”, “I still have 23,000 sq m lead paint”; “My paint NOT tested for PCBs”; “LEARN FROM GEELONG FIASCO” and ”ex-HMAS Canberra breaking up”, ‘Do the right thing - put old warships in the recycle bin.“
But the key message was for donations for the looming legal battle.
“If we are to stop this scuttling date which Lands Minister Tony Kelly announced for April 13 we need to move fast. We need thousands of dollars for legal costs to stop this”, said an NSAG spokesperson.
“The structural integrity of the ship, because of what has been taken off it, has gone. A marine engineer tendered court documents stating it is not sea worthy. It could sink enroute to Avoca – anywhere off the Northern Beaches.
“Three judges from the AAT said in their findings in paragraph 94: the ship is not seaworthy (and cannot be towed to an overseas location)’.
“So the option of towing the vessel overseas is out of the question, but once you go outside Sydney heads you are out at sea. The Government took lead ballast out of the ship, it is unstable, it has holes cut in the sides for divers, there are no operational pumps and it will be carrying explosives.
In US marine engineer Werner Hoyt’s court-tendered report on page 17 he states: ‘Ocean Tow: The ship no longer has any watertight integrity for purposes of ocean tow.’ (see report on noship.com.au under ‘Court documents’ on home page then ‘Evidence from Werner Hoyt’)
“This State Government has sold our Power assets; pushed through Barangaroo and now they want to dump a warship just 1.6km off pristine Avoca Beach.
This ship should be responsibly recycled at Garden Island. It has 2100 tonnes of steel and aluminium which could sell for about $1.2 million. Not only will that make the State Government money, but it will save carbon emissions by not having to manufacture new steel and aluminium.
Another message from the group is a youtube film called Adelaide: the Precautionary Principle which featured former Chief Medical Officer of Australia, Dr Tony Adams. View online http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUbFuIbxR9g
At the end of the evening a rousing noise from the water echoed across Sydney Harbour to the tune of “It’s a long way to Tipperary”.
Down to mighty Sydney
Came Avoca Beach one day.
This ship’s full of toxins
Keep her out of our bay
She should be recycled
Or taken to the tip
We would like to say now:
Avoca Takes No Ship
It’s a long way to Avoca
A long way to commute
It’s a long way to Avoca
She might just sink enroute!
Goodbye, Adelaide
Farewell, old toxic tip
It’s a long long way to Avoca
Recycle this ship!
Media Contact
Ben Smith 0409 693 205
Michelle Meares 0439 645 372
Photos of the projection action attached - high resolution available upon request
ABC Breakfast Radio 702 - Adam Spencer speaks with NSAG about the ship. 25/02/2011
Environmentalists have expressed outrage at plans to sink HMAS Adelaide off Avoca Beach on April 13 despite the presence onboard of lead-based paints and other toxic substances. ABC TV 24-02-2011
No Ship Action Group Gatecrash Tony Kelly’s Media Conference - 24 Feb 2011
