KARACHI, Jan 22: An oil tanker loaded with toxic chemicals is being purchased by a Pakistani ship-breaker, sources said on Tuesday.

The tanker ‘Atlantida’, at present anchored at the Singapore Port, was purchased by a Bangladesh ship-breaker, but the deal was cancelled.

Now its owners M/s Tsakos Shipping & Trading in Greece and Mandassia Marine in Cyprus were negotiating with the Pakistani ship-breaker, the sources said.

Last year, a similar case had appeared in the media when a deal for an oil tanker ‘Alpha’ loaded with toxic chemicals anchored close to Pakistani waters was being negotiated with Pakistani ship-breakers. But the deal was averted as the Pakistan Ship Breakers’ Association had issued a circular to its members asking them not to purchase or bring such vessels for scrapping purposes which carry dangerous cargo such as toxic chemicals.

In the absence of any provision in Pakistan’s ship-breaking rules regarding inspection of ships for contamination the owners of such vessels try to find their way into Pakistan.

‘Alpha’ was also initially sold to a Bangladesh ship-breaker, but when it entered the Chittagong port in April 2006, the NGOs put a strong resistance and moved the high court which banned its entry.

‘Atlantida’, built in 1980 and registered in Liberia since Oct 30, 2005, has a capacity of 87,542DWT. Its name has been appearing on the watch list of Greenpeace, the global ecological watchdog, which makes it mandatory that any such ships should be decontaminated before being scrapped.

The Greenpeace has selected 50 ships which might be scrapped soon. The watchdog has asked their owners to declare that ships would be decontaminated before scrapping at Asian ports.

Normally such vessels loaded with dangerous and hazardous cargoes/chemicals are sold to Asian countries at a low price in order to attract buyers who earn windfall profits but least care about health and environmental damages to their countries.