Reactions are growing to the planned dismantling of the Brazilian Navy's giant warship, Nae Sao Paulo, in Aliağa, İzmir. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor at the press conference organized by professional organizations at Izmir Architecture Center Tunç Soyer“The statements made by the ministry about the ship do not give confidence. Protecting the environment from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change is a very sad picture. We invite the Ministry to common sense, prudence and environmental awareness. İzmir opposes the approval of the Brazilian Navy's Nae Sao Paulo ship to be dismantled in Aliağa by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Izmir Provincial Coordination Board (IKK), Izmir Bar Association and Izmir Medical Chamber held a press conference at Izmir Architecture Center to oppose the arrival of the giant warship in the city. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor attended the meeting. Tunç Soyer also participated.
“The ministry's statement does not give confidence”
President Tunç Soyer “This story has two titles. The first is the ship itself, and the other is the dismantling facilities in Aliağa. The ministry's statements about the ship are not reassuring: 'We will show the ship, everyone can see it when it arrives'. The company, which makes the hazardous waste inventory of the ship, says that there are places that cannot be entered. What will we see? The ship's twin was not accepted by India. Why and how do we get the ship that India sent back? The process is proceeding with an untrustworthy, dubious and confusing statement.”
“22 out of 8 businesses comply with EU norms”
President Soyer reminded that ship dismantling practices have been going on for 40 years in Aliağa and said, “There are 22 businesses here and only 8 of them operate in accordance with European Union norms. In other words, it is unclear how two-thirds of them traded. These companies have been granted EIA exemption. When we open a dairy, we have to get an EIA positive report. But we see that companies are not subject to EIA legislation in a place where thousands of tons of ships are dismantled. We will continue to fight on both issues," he said.
“It is very sad to protect the environment from the ministry”
Stating that the decision of the Ministry was wrong, President Soyer said, “While fighting against tuna farms in Seferihisar, I was asked 'What are you doing?' they would ask. I would say, 'I am trying to protect the environment from the Ministry of Environment'. We are not proud of it. Protecting the environment from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change is a very sad picture. We invite the Ministry to common sense, prudence and environmental awareness. We invite you to protect the environment and nature of this city, this country. We invite you to share the same concern with us. We want to follow a process that is transparent, that the people of Izmir can easily see, accept and feel comfortable with.” President Soyer concluded his words as follows: “We will continue this struggle until the end. Personally, as a citizen of this city, I am thinking of starting the personal lawsuit process. I invite all Izmir residents to participate in this lawsuit process. May the people of Izmir rest in peace, this city is not unclaimed. Together, we will continue to protect and own İzmir. We invite everyone who has this sensitivity in İzmir to enlarge this struggle and to be a part of it.”
“A civil disobedience is needed”
İzmir Bar Association President Özkan Yücel emphasized that there is a need for civil disobedience along with the law, “Because we see that the ship that docks at the port and anchors there once is dismantled. If we want it not to be dismantled, a more determined, bigger struggle is needed this time. A civil disobedience is needed. This is not only Izmir's problem," he said. Serhat Tanyeri, Head of İzmir Branch of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, stated that they followed the process and said, “This place cannot be audited. In fact, the biggest problem is that it cannot be audited and the process is not managed properly. The waste here contains hazardous materials. It is necessary to inspect them in order to control them," he said.
“The Ministry should review its environmental policies”
Izmir Medical Chamber President Dr. Underlining that the ship will seriously affect human health, Süleyman Kaynak said, “We see that many substances that will adversely affect human health and the health of the people working here will enter our country with waste. The waste policy and environmental policy of the Ministry need to be reviewed. The entire inventory of this ship, which has not sailed yet, needs to be shared with the public in a transparent manner," he said.
“The ship should not be allowed to enter the territorial waters of our country”
TMMOB Izmir Provincial Coordination Board Sözcüsü Aykut Akdemir said: “We do not accept that our country is turned into a dumping ground, where wastes produced by Europe but not disposed of on its own soil and not accepted by other countries are sent. The ship should not be allowed to enter our country's territorial waters without answering our questions regarding the allegations about the ship."
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