ANKARA - Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Osman Pepe predicted on Tuesday that 308,000 tons of sea water would be polluted if hazardous waste of the sunken ''MV Ulla'' ship leaked out to Iskenderun Gulf.
Pepe told a press conference that the cargo ship ''MV Ulla'' was carrying fly ash substance, a byproduct of burning coal, which had been sent from a Spanish company to Algeria to be used in dam construction.
But, the substance was not accepted in Algeria, and the ship had been moored in Iskenderun port for about four and a half years, Pepe said.
Pepe noted that the legal process for sending the waste back to Spain had been launched two years ago, and the matter was discussed at the Sixth Parties Meeting of the Basel Agreement on Waste Trade held in Geneva in December 2002.
The Spanish government decided to send a ship to Turkey to bring the waste back to this country, Pepe stated.
Pepe said that any initiatives could not be launched since there was a warrant of sequestration on the load of the ship.
Noting that the sequestration was lifted on June 17th, 2004, Pepe said that the ship sank when negotiations between Turkish Foreign Ministry and Spanish government were about to be completed.
Pepe said that why the ship sank would become clear after the Office of General Staff and Naval Forces Command carried out researches tomorrow (Wednesday).
''Then, we can announce if the ship sank or it was sunk,'' Pepe noted.
Pepe stated that experts had not seen any dead fish around the sunken ship, and oxygen, pH and water temperature were normal.
Turkish Environment Minister Pepe warned citizens not to swim around the area where the ship sank and eat dead fish until officials said the opposite.
Pepe said that all obligations stemming from the Basel Agreement would be fulfilled, adding that Turkey would ask for compensation of its losses.
(BRC) 07.09.2004