No one is buying decommissioned U.S. ships due to poor economy
Decommissioned merchant ships being stored at the Reserve Fleet in Newport News, Virginia have no buyers. According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, salvage companies who would normally buy the old ships for scrap metal haven’t been buying because of the weakened economy. The government puts the decommissioned ships up for sale to see if anyone is interested. When no buyers can be found, the government will pay companies to scrap the ships.
Most recently, the U.S. government paid Bay Bridge Enterprises $115,200 to scrap the USS Escape, a U.S. Navy rescue and salvage ship that helped aid stricken vessels during World War II. The government is also paying $1.8 million to scrap four other decommissioned ships.
The vice president of Bay Bridge Enterprises pointed out that bidding on a ship for scrap can be a costly prospect, as the salvage companies need to pay for asbestos abatement and remediation of PCBs, fuel and ballast waste before the scrap metal can be used.
Unfortunately, foregoing asbestos abatement can put those aboard the ship at risk for asbestos exposure. This has become a serious issue for many Navy veterans who served aboard ships, such as the USS Escape, and worked in Naval shipyards.
During much of the 20th century, asbestos-containing products were used about numerous Navy ships due to their heavy resistance to heat, fire and corrosion. At the time, the serious health concerns of asbestos exposure were not well known. In fact, many of the asbestos companies actively worked to hide the truth about asbestos and the many diseases it can cause, including asbestos cancers such as mesothelioma in order to protect their profits.
Sadly, many brave men and women who served in the Navy suffered from the asbestos companies’ greed through no fault of their own. A disproportionate number of veterans suffer from asbestos diseases, all because some greedy corporations lied about their products.
