Still a old Great Belt ferry be bound for India.

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Introduction:

After the freight train ferry "Asa-Thor"   at the 20th September 1997 and the car- and train ferry "Knudshoved" at the 24th December 1997 was sailed to India, leave the car- and train ferry

"Deutschland" at January of 1999, be bound for India to. Also the old German car- and train ferry "Theodor Heuss" from 1957 was sailed for India to in the spring of 1997.

When a ferry/a ship are arrived to the beach at Bombay go all crewmembers off board, with exception of two men, as so sail the ferry/the ship a couple of sea miles of the coast and wait for it be a flood tide (high water). When it's to be a flood tide sail the ferry/the ship for full speed towards the coast, for the ferry/the ship can come so long up to the coast as possible.

Subsequently can the scrapping so beginning, as so taken couple of months depending of the size. They are not taken attention to the environment neither when it's come to the working conditions and the nature. People who requires safety equipment get to be fired, if the are enough of other people who are ready to take over the job.

This personnel, who stand for the scrapping are employed as day-laborer for a day pay of 1 $ and the working day are 12 hours everyday. They are no demand to protection of feet, hands and eyes. They are either not unusual that the workers lose a limbs, be blind or killed. The companies pay only poor compensations a couples of hundred Danish krones for lost working capacity and lost breadwinner for the lucky peoples. For the other peoples are only the beggar's staff back. Every day

be about hundreds of peoples involved in industrial accidents and 4 peoples be kill in a month.

We must look on the working conditions as real slavery as before the American civil war 1861 - 65. In busy time the can work more than 40.000 day-laborers for the 19 companies, who are stand for the scrapping. Also is the workers unprotect to, they are come in contact with the asbestos.

A important detail is the asbestos- and oil pollution of the sea and the beach, who they do nothing arrangement to get under control. After my opinion they must take measures against this environmental impact now!

We must note, that the EU-Commissioner of Environment Ritt Bjerregaard and the Danish Minister of Environment Svend Auken has sleeped

in the hours while the one ferry after the another be sail to India

A demand must be that this environmental impact must be take up in UN, who Denmark, the other Nordic countries and EU lead the way to be stop and the 19 ship breaker companies must be sentence to pay for the clean-up of this environmental impact on a beach, who earlier was nice and white.

After that the DR Dokumentar has the programe "Operation Hvidvask" ("Operation white wash") with the following "Profilen Special" with a interview of the Minister of Environment Svend Auken (S) on DR TV1 Wednesday evening the 20th may 1998 at 8.00 pm has the Minister of Environment Svend Auken (S) finally react and ask the police to make a investigation if Scandlines has break the Danish Law of environment and the Basel-convention, who ban a export of waste to poor countries like India.

The ferries contain exactly the material asbestos, who has since the 1970´es has be ban in Denmark, because

it's danger. Many insulation installers for example on shipyards are dead be the incurable lung disease asbestosis. For example should be mention that only one insulation installer live today out of 30-40 men on the Helsingør Skibsværft (Ellsinore Shipyard), who was take part to insulate M/F Knudshoved during the building in 1960/61 and a another insulations installer from Nakskov Skibsværft (Shipyard), who take part to insulate M/F Asa-Thor during the building in 1965, can't mow his grass today be a result of a reduced lung function cause by the asbestos. For about 35 years ago we don't know harmful effects of the asbestos.

The ferry was delivered in 1957 to the Deutsche Bundesbahn by the Howaltswerke, Kiel with the works number 1067 and run to the crossing Gedser-Grossenbrode until to the closing down in 1963, as car- and train ferry. At the 15th of May 1963 opened the new crossing between Rødby Havn and Puttgarden who the ferry be to run.

In 1986 get the Deutsche Bundesbahn the new ferry F/S Karl Carstens, after which F/S Theodor Heuss be a freight ferry. The 6th of April 1997 sailed her for a last time and was lay up in Warnemünde. The 13th of April 1997 sailed her to India after her was to be renamed to Theodor. Last in the month of May 1997 her arrived to India and sailed up to the beach, after which the scrapping could begin

Historical facts about M/F Knudshoved:

The ferry was delivered the 15th of March 1961 to the DSB Søfartstjeneste by the Helsingør Skibsværft with the Works number 352 and run to the Great Belt Crossing, as car ferry on the line Halsskov-Knudshoved and as train ferry on the line Korsør-Nyborg. In the winter of 1963/64 her was rebuild, so her could sail on the new line Rødby-Puttgarden, who her has done in long periods.

All in 1978, 1985, 1993 and 1994 her to be rebuild, who her by the latest rebuild get a specie bow gate, so her both could call a traditional ferry berths and ro-ro berths, so her could sail between Gedser and Rostock.

Incidentally the restaurant and the cafeteria be not rebuild after the new cafeteria concept on the line

Halsskov-Knudshoved, so her was the last car ferry who had the old interior.

Last time her has sailed with passenger on Korsør-Nyborg, was on the farewell tour with the M/F Asa-Thor the 5th of April 1997 and in November 1997 sailed her for a last time on Halsskov-Knudshoved. As result of that Scandlines had buy the ferry Lodbrog be M/F Knudshoved sold for scrapping and sailed to India the 24th of December 1997, after her was renamed to "Knud" of Kingstown on St. Vincent, who her incidentally never get to, because her have to scrap up

While her lay in Nyborg the works number plate and the wheel of wing under the windows of the wheelhouse be removed an take over to the ferry museum on board in M/F Kong Frederik IX.

Historical facts about M/F Asa-Thor:

The ferry who was a real freight train ferry was delivered to the DSB Søfartstjeneste the 17th of December 1965 by the Nakskov Skibsværft with works number 174 and was a good active for the DSB, because her could take many freight wagons onboard on every tour.

The ferry sailed first of all on Korsør-Nyborg, but have sailed on Københavns Frihavn-Malmö to in week-ends with great freight wagon accumulations, because the Swedish ferry Malmöhus not had so great capacity. A few times her had sailed on Gedser-Warnemünde to.

In 1980 her was rebuild to sail with dangerous freight, by her get a air ventilating plant placed over

the bow gate and had a accident with the dangerous freight in, who luckily not cost some life's.

The 5th of April 1997 sailed her with freight for a last time and was lay up in Nyborg until the 20th of September 1997, who her sailed to India, as "Asa" of Kingstown on St. Vincent. The 11th of November 1997 at 9.45 am her was sailed up to the beach, after which the scrapping could beginning. The scrapping was thorough during of February 1998

Just like M/F Knudshoved was the works number plate and the wheel of wing under the windows of the wheelhouse be removed and take over to the ferry museum.

The ferry was delivered in June 1972 to the Deutsche Bundesbahn by the Nobiskrug Shipyard, Rendsburg with the works number 673 and run to the crossing Rødby Havn - Puttgarden, as car- and train ferry, where it replaced the old "Deutschland" from 1953  who was scrapped and sold to a Greek shipping company. In opposites to the old "Deutschland", who only have one car deck, have the new ferry two car decks.

The ferry sailed all hers years on the line Rødby Havn - Puttgarden, where her sailed for a last time

at the 30th of September 1997 and was lay up in Warnemünde. Her lay here until the 30th of March 1998, where her sailed to Egypt, after her was sold to a Egyptian shipping company, who renamed the ferry to "El Salam 97" of Panama. It should be sail with pilgrims, until a machine damage cut out the ferry and because its former owner (DFO) not wouldn't help the Egyptian ship owner to set right the machine damage, it was to be sold for scrapping in January of 1999 in India. The scrapping was thorough during of March of 1999.