Seattle Prevails in Rerouting Cargo Ship Carrying Toxins

SEATTLE —  The Defense Department decided against trying to unload 110 tons of PCB-contaminated waste here for even a short stay, and the container ship carrying the unwelcome cargo steamed out of port Friday.

The ultimate destination of the waste, from U.S. military bases in Japan, has not been determined, a Pentagon spokesman said.

“We’re pleased we’ve been able to address the concerns of the citizens of the state of Washington,” Army Lt. Col. Steve Campbell said in a telephone interview.

“We’re exploring options right now,” he said. “There will be a solution found to this, and I’m fairly certain it will be found soon.”

The Wan He sailed late Friday afternoon for Vancouver, British Columbia, under Coast Guard escort. Once in Canadian waters, it was to be escorted by the Canadian Coast Guard, which was in discussions with Greenpeace to ensure the ship would be allowed to dock in Vancouver to unload cargo other than the contested 14 containers and take on other cargo, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) said at a news conference.

The ship then was to make a previously scheduled return to Japan, Port of Seattle spokesman Doug Williams said.

The Wan He set sail from Yokohama, Japan, March 23, carrying among its hundreds of shipping containers the 14 loaded with transformers, circuit breakers, other electrical gear, oil, packing material, rags and related debris to be taken to a disposal facility at Kirkland Lake, Ontario. But Canadian officials rejected the shipment while the ship was underway, saying the Kirkland Lake operation could handle only waste generated in Canada.

Scientific studies have linked PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, to cancer. PCBs have been banned in the U.S. manufacture of products since the late 1970s.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday granted permission for temporary storage of the material at a warehouse in Seattle while other disposal arrangements were sought. The ship arrived Wednesday.

But members of local Longshoremen and Teamsters unions refused to unload the waste or drive it to a warehouse, and Gov. Gary Locke and Port of Seattle commissioners on Thursday demanded the Defense Department state in writing the ultimate destination of the waste and guarantee it would remain in Seattle no longer than two weeks.

The Defense Department on Friday decided to leave the waste on board and not attempt to unload it in Seattle.

“I am very pleased our ultimatum worked,” Locke said in a release Friday. “This waste has no place in the state of Washington, even on a temporary basis.”

A vice president of the Wan He’s shipping line, China Ocean Shipping Co., did not return a call for comment.