In a note published this Wednesday by the Angolan newspaper Jornal de Angola, the Captaincy of the Port of Luanda states that these vessels are also a source of pollution, admitting to take all precautionary measures for their removal, if the owners do not do so within the established period.
"At the end of the established period, they will be considered abandoned, and it is up to this Captaincy to take all precautionary measures for their removal and will not be responsible for any consequences that may arise," reads the notice signed by the Captain of the Port of Luanda, Baptista Vunge André.
When contacted by Lusa, the Captaincy of the Port of Luanda sent further explanations on the matter to Thursday.
Last October, the Captain of the Port of Luanda announced, in an interview with Lusa, that it was "coming soon", the launching of a tender to hire companies that dismantle and collect abandoned ships and in a state of scrap along the bay of Luanda, including artifacts of the colonial war.
Baptista Vunge André said there are several requests from companies interested in participating in the process, which are being forwarded to the Maritime and Port Institute of Angola.
According to the responsible, the project is under study to be put into practice and the time for the start and end of the operation should be determined after the signing of the service contract for the company that wins the tender.
The process is the result of an orientation, last September, by the Ministry of Transport, which focuses on exposed ferrous and non ferrous waste, especially dangerous ones, such as asbestos, a substance that destroys the ozone layer.
For this purpose, a multisectoral commission was created, constituted by the Ministries of Transport, Industry, Culture, Tourism and Environment, the Port of Luanda, among others, which should be in charge of the assumptions for the fulfillment of that guideline.
The danger to navigation and to the community, the impediment of the implementation of maritime industrial infrastructures and tourism, and maritime pollution are some of the consequences of the presence at sea of these "scrap ships", pointed out Baptista Vunge André.
The orientation of the Ministry of Transportation determines that the collection should be done by mechanical means, whose handling should prevent waste, material and environmental damage, and the transportation of waste should be done by sea or land, with appropriate means.
