In a matter of weeks, ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated by radiation will start arriving in Europe. But the authorities in ports such as Hamburg are unsure how they should deal with them.German port operators are nervously awaiting the expected arrival of ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated with radioactivity following the Link Removed due to 404 Error
Confusion reigns about what to do with the ships. The first such vessels are expected to arrive at German ports in mid-April, but may be turned back if they are deemed to be contaminated.
Erik van der Noordaa, the head of Germanischer Lloyd, a technical supervisory organization which conducts safety surveys on more than 7,000 ships, told the Wednesday edition of the Financial Times Deutschland that he expects European ports will "send away" ships from Japan. "In Hamburg, they will not be happy if a contaminated ship enters," he said.
But something must be done -- the ships are on their way. "This is going to be very complicated, and there is no solution yet," van der Noordaa said.
Consequences of Fukushima: German Ports Unsure How to Deal with Contaminated Ships - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
