The aircraft carrier “Foch” will be sunk in the Atlantic by Brazil, a “toxic package” of 30,000 tons

The Brazilian authorities have decided to sink the former “Foch” aircraft carrier in the Atlantic, a flagship of the French navy passed under the Brazilian flag in 2000, which has long wandered at sea in search of a port of refuge, learned AFP this Thursday, February 2 from a military source.

“Faced with the risks involved in towing and because of the deterioration of the waterline (…), the only solution is to abandon the hull by sinking it in a controlled manner”explained late Wednesday in a joint statement the Navy and the Ministry of Defense of Brazil, adding that given his condition, “spontaneous shipwreck” of the hull was inevitable in the long term.

A highly controversial decision, the old hull of 266 meters long being filled with asbestos, paints and other toxic waste, according to several organizations for the defense of the environment.

A “toxic package” of 30,000 tons

Two weeks ago, the navy announced that it had taken the former aircraft carrier in tow in the Atlantic, 315 km from the Brazilian coast. She specified that in view of her state of degradation and “high risk” it represents for the environment, it would not authorize its return to a port or to Brazilian territorial waters.

Several NGOs then expressed their fear of seeing Brazil commit a “environmental crime”the Robin des Bois association qualifying the former aircraft carrier as “toxic package of 30,000 tons”.

Built in the late 1950s in the Saint-Nazaire shipyard in western France, the Foch served the French Navy for 37 years. It was bought in 2000 by Brazil, which renamed it Sao Paulo.