'Ghost ships' will not be sent back to US: Beckett

Two WWII-vintage US warships, which are scheduled for dismantling in the UK, will not be sent back across the Atlantic, the environment secretary said today.

The so-called 'ghost ships' had been due to be scrapped by British company Able UK at Hartlepool docks. However, a legal wrangle has seen a High Court order issued that no work be carried out on the ships before December 8.

Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett said today that the government agreed that the law required the ships to be returned to the United States but, as the first two vessels of the US flotilla were close to the English Channel, it would be environmentally unsound to order the decaying hulks to return immediately.

Mrs Beckett said: "In the circumstances we are exploring with the appropriate agencies, colleagues in government and the United States, how best to store the ships temporarily.

"We are working with the United States authorities to examine the safety and liability concerns they have raised to proposals that the second pair of ships return to the US. We take those concerns seriously, but believe the status of the second pair of ships must be clarified without delay and are pushing for a rapid resolution of that question."

She added that the government was looking for the "best environmental outcome" but that it was "an extremely complex issue which we are doing everything possible to resolve".

The Environmental Agency is working with government and other agencies to ensure that "safe and environmentally sound storage" is found for the vessels over the winter if necessary.

Mrs Beckett also dismissed claims widely reported in the press that the vessels were excessively toxic and were carrying toxic cargo.

(gmcg)