Two ships in transit in Singapore suspected of carrying toxic waste

Cargo, which was bound for Thailand, being sent back to Albania

- Shabana Begum

Two shipments believed to contain undeclared toxic waste that landed on Singapore's shores in August are being sent by the authorities here back to where the illegal cargo had come from.

Originally from Albania, the cargo which a hazardous waste watchdog said contains toxic steel furnace dust left the country for Italy in July.

Toxic steel furnace dust contains heavy metals such as zinc and lead that can leach when disposed of on land, contaminating groundwater.

The harmful dust can lead to serious eye, skin and lung irritation, and even cause cancer.

In Italy, the cargo was loaded onto two vessels, the Maersk Campton and the Maersk Candor, by Danish shipping giant Maersk. The Campton carried 41 containers, and the Candor, 61.

The watchdog, Basel Action Network, said in a statement on Aug 5 that the Maersk ships were headed for Thailand. Singapore appears to have been a transit stop along the way.

The Basel Convention is a UN treaty that criminalises waste trafficking. Under the treaty, the exporter or generator of the waste will have to receive approval from the authorities of the receiving country before the waste is moved.

But Basel Action Network said the countries in the transportation network were not notified about the toxic cargo.

"Albania was never informed about the export by the exporter, the transit states were not informed, and Thailand never received any notification," said the watchdog in an Aug 19 statement.