Suspicious ship sinkings may have been toxic waste dump
Italian anti-Mafia investigators, armed with a list of suspect ship sinkings from Lloyd’s, are investigating the dumping of nuclear and toxic waste in the Mediterranean and off Africa, the FT reports.
An Italian marine survey ship under police protection started tests 12 miles off Calabria's coast on the wreck of a cargo ship 500 metres below. The conspiracy is said to be between the mafia, industrialists and government agencies.
According to Francesco Fonti, a Mafia turncoat, the ship was scuttled in 1992 carrying 120 barrels of toxic materials - much of it possibly radioactive. The ship, identified by Mr Fonti as the Cunski, is one of three vessels carrying toxic cargoes he says he sank as a service provided by the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian Mafia.
More than 30 sinkings
Over two decades Italian prosecutors have looked into more than 30 such suspicious deep-water sinkings. They suspect that Italian and foreign industrialists have acted in league with the Mafia, and possibly government agencies, to use the Mediterranean as a dumping ground. Vessels that sank in fair weather had suspicious cargo, sent no mayday or the crew vanished. None had been located, until now.
