Spain Moves to Help Türkiye Address Toxic Cargo from Sunken Vessel

Spain's environment minister announced Wednesday that Madrid is coordinating with Ankara to assist in managing roughly 2,200 tonnes of carcinogenic power-plant waste aboard a ship that recently sank off Türkiye's southeastern coast. The offer aligns with obligations under the Basel Convention on hazardous waste transport.

The vessel, MV Ulla, had been anchored in Turkish waters since early 2000, when Türkiye refused to accept its cargo, claiming the material had deteriorated during the voyage from Algeria. The load originated with Spanish company Lafarge Asland SA, which contends it relinquished legal ownership when the ship departed the port of Aviles in December 1999.

Türkiye's maritime disaster agency warned the toxic material could contaminate more than 300,000 tonnes of water. Turkish authorities have called on Spain to bear full responsibility for any environmental harm.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.