There is a classic postcard of Montevideo Bay road to Capurro: a series of abandoned boats floating in the Rio de la Plata since many years. This week, the National Administration of Ports (ANP) carries out, together with a private company, a first stage of scrapping more than 50 inactive ships.
The ships were abandoned by the owners and left in the bay. They generally have several embargoes on them and that is why the owners leave them out of service. Years pass before the corresponding process is completed so that the ANP can take charge of the abandoned boats.
The first step is that there is a declaration of abandon ship carried out by the Justice and then goes through a series of legal instances so that the State can proceed to scrapping and junk sale.
Ines Guimaraens
Procedures must also be carried out before the National Environment Directorate (Dinama), National Prefecture and the Municipality of Montevideo, among other dependencies.
The president of the ANP, Juan Curbeloreported this Friday that a first stage began this week that includes 25 of the 50 ships that are abandoned.
“They have been here for more than 10 years with a very negative imagenot only for the port of Montevideo, but also for the city”, he indicated.
The Fewell company is dismantling the ships MS15, La Paloma 1 and Palenque, which are stationed in front of the North access of the port of Montevideo. The viaduct through which UPM trucks will enter the port area to the specialized pulp terminal owned by the pulp company will be inaugurated next month over this area.
All three boats are in very poor condition. Virtually all of its structures are covered in rust.
Ines Guimaraens
The ships are cut into parts. The remains of two boats will be loaded onto another ship that goes up the river to Sayago Points.
The third is stranded in an area of the bay where there is practically no water. In this case, the remains are loaded onto a truck and transported to the company that bought them as scrap.
After these three vessels, the MS11, located in Capurro, will continue. More than 10 ships have already been scrapped.
“It is a postcard that with a lot of work in the next month will disappear. It is a process of environmental and operational improvements in the port and for that we have arranged this process,” said Curbelo.
The cost of the first stage of scrapping is approximately $4 million.
The ANP is working on the second stage, through a call for bids, for the remaining 25 vessels.
Ines Guimaraens
“We are on the right track to modernize port activity, new infrastructures that are going to generate a radical change in the port of Montevideo. We are also working very hard to clean up the bay”, commented the president of the ANP.
“Unfortunately, the abandoned ships are not only in the port area, but in the entire Montevideo bay. This has been going on for many years and we decided to face it,” said Curbelo.
Waste management
A chapter on scrapping that the ANP highlighted is that of waste management on boats. During refloating tasks, they extract thousands of kilos of wood, plastics and foam. Thousands of liters of liquid waste.
The company contracted for these operations carries out the traceability of the garbage and metallic elements.
