Brasilia
Reuters
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A decommissioned 1960s-era aircraft carrier that has been floating at sea for three months since Turkey refused to scrap it has been found in waters under Brazilian jurisdiction, the Brazilian navy said on Wednesday. will sink into the ocean.
The 32,000-tonne Sao Paulo carrier was towed to Europe by tug but did not pass through the Strait of Gibraltar, and was returned across the Atlantic after Turkey decided it posed an environmental risk.
The navy said in a statement that the ship was taking on water and was in danger of sinking, so it was not allowed to dock at Brazilian ports.
Despite a plea from Environment Minister Marina Silva not to sink the carrier, the navy said it had the ship 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) off the coast in 350 kilometers (217 miles) of water inside Brazil’s exclusive economic zone. I had no choice but to throw up. .
The site is far from environmental protection zones and is free of undersea communication cables, the navy said in a statement.
“Given her deteriorating buoyancy and the inevitability of uncontrolled sinking, there is no other option but to dismantle her and sink her in a planned manner,” it said.
The Navy had planned to put the ship out to sea on Wednesday, but government lawyers tried to block the sinking in Brazilian waters, citing environmental risks, including the ship’s interior panelling. Tons of asbestos.
A federal judge on Wednesday afternoon denied their request for an injunction, saying the Navy had weighed the environmental impact against other factors.
The Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers served the French Navy from 1963 to 2000 as the Foch, capable of carrying 40 aircraft on board.
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