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- The 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump was a health crisis in Ivory Coast in which a ship registered in Panama, the Probo Koala, chartered by the Singaporean-based oil and commodity shipping company Trafigura Beheer BV, offloaded toxic waste to an Ivorian waste handling company which disposed of it at the port of Abidjan. The local contractor, a company called Tommy, dumped the waste at 12 sites in and around the city in August 2006. The dumping, which took place against a backdrop of instability in Abidjan as a result of the country's first civil war, allegedly led to the death of 7 and 20 hospitalisations, with a further 26000 people treated for symptoms of poisoning. In the days after the dumping, almost 100,000 Ivorians sought medical attention after Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny opened the hospitals and offered free healthcare to the capital's residents. Trafigura originally planned to dispose of the slops – which resulted from cleaning the vessel and contained 500 tonnes of a mixture of fuel, caustic soda, and hydrogen sulfide – at the port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The company refused to pay Dutch company Amsterdam Port Services (APS) for disposal after APS raised its charge from €27 to €1,000 per cubic meter. The Probo Koala was reportedly turned away by several countries before offloading the toxic waste at the Port of Abidjan. An inquiry in the Netherlands in late 2006 confirmed the composition of the waste substance. Trafigura denied any waste was transported from the Netherlands, saying that the substances contained only tiny amounts of hydrogen sulfide, and that the company did not know the substance was to be disposed of improperly. After two Trafigura officials who traveled to Ivory Coast to offer assistance were arrested and subsequently attacked in jail, the company paid US$198 million for cleanup to the Ivorian government, without admitting wrongdoing in early 2007. A series of protests and resignations of Ivorian government officials followed this deal. In 2008, a civil lawsuit in London was launched by almost 30,000 Ivorians against Trafigura. In May 2009, Trafigura announced it would sue the BBC for libel after its Newsnight program alleged the company had knowingly sought to cover up its role in the incident. In September 2009 The Guardian obtained and published internal Trafigura emails showing that the traders responsible knew how dangerous the chemicals were. Trafigura agreed to a settlement of £30 million (US$42.4 million) to settle the class action suit against it. Law firm Leigh Day, which represented the Ivorian claimants, was found guilty of negligence after £6 million of the settlement funds were embezzled. (en)
- El caso se desarrolló entre enero y agosto de 2006 cuando la empresa Trafigura, tras varios intentos infructuosos para deshacerse en Europa y Nigeria de una gran carga de residuos tóxicos derivados del proceso de refinado de petróleo por el método de , ordenó al carguero trasladar a Costa de Marfil dicha mezcla de residuos de gasolina y restos cáusticos. En agosto de 2006 Puma Energy, filial en Costa de Marfil de Trafigura, recibe instrucciones de hacer los preparativos para el vertido del Probo Koala en Abiyán. El 19 de agosto los desechos fueron vertidos en 15 lugares cercanos a Abiyán, la ciudad más grande del país. Los residuos son descargados en vertederos al aire libre sin capacidad para el proceso de materiales tóxicos. En las semanas siguientes, decenas de miles de personas comenzaron a registrar problemas respiratorios, mareos y diarrea. En septiembre de 2009, un informe de Naciones Unidas sugirió que había estrechos vínculos entre quince muertes y el vertido de los residuos. La compañía Trafigura, acusada de este hecho, criticó el informe, al que calificó "prematuro" e "inexacto". El periodista de la BBC Martin Plaut informa que cada damnificado recibirá unos US$1.500, cifra que, como declaró uno de los portavoces de los demandantes, es inferior a lo que ellos esperaban. (es)
- L'affaire du Probo Koala est une catastrophe environnementale survenue en Côte d'Ivoire. Elle tire son nom du navire vraquier qui a acheminé des déchets en Côte d'Ivoire en 2006 : le Probo Koala, un navire vraquier immatriculé au Panama, appartenant à une compagnie grecque et affrété par la société hollandaise et suisse Trafigura. En août 2006, ce navire vraquier polyvalent a déchargé au port d'Abidjan 581 tonnes de déchets provenant du nettoyage du bateau (un mélange de pétrole, sulfure d'hydrogène, phénols, soude caustique et de composés organiques sulfurés). Ces derniers, répandus à terre en zone de décharge, provoquent des émanations de gaz mortels. La mort de 17 personnes et l'intoxication de dizaines de milliers de personnes (43 492 cas d'empoisonnement confirmés et 24 825 cas probables, d'après l'INHP) sont imputées par Amnesty international aux émanations de ces déchets. Trafigura est jugée responsable par un tribunal des Pays-Bas qui condamne l'entreprise le 23 décembre 2011 à verser des dommages et intérêts aux victimes. (fr)
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- The 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump was a health crisis in Ivory Coast in which a ship registered in Panama, the Probo Koala, chartered by the Singaporean-based oil and commodity shipping company Trafigura Beheer BV, offloaded toxic waste to an Ivorian waste handling company which disposed of it at the port of Abidjan. The local contractor, a company called Tommy, dumped the waste at 12 sites in and around the city in August 2006. The dumping, which took place against a backdrop of instability in Abidjan as a result of the country's first civil war, allegedly led to the death of 7 and 20 hospitalisations, with a further 26000 people treated for symptoms of poisoning. (en)
- L'affaire du Probo Koala est une catastrophe environnementale survenue en Côte d'Ivoire. Elle tire son nom du navire vraquier qui a acheminé des déchets en Côte d'Ivoire en 2006 : le Probo Koala, un navire vraquier immatriculé au Panama, appartenant à une compagnie grecque et affrété par la société hollandaise et suisse Trafigura. (fr)
- El caso se desarrolló entre enero y agosto de 2006 cuando la empresa Trafigura, tras varios intentos infructuosos para deshacerse en Europa y Nigeria de una gran carga de residuos tóxicos derivados del proceso de refinado de petróleo por el método de , ordenó al carguero trasladar a Costa de Marfil dicha mezcla de residuos de gasolina y restos cáusticos. En agosto de 2006 Puma Energy, filial en Costa de Marfil de Trafigura, recibe instrucciones de hacer los preparativos para el vertido del Probo Koala en Abiyán. (es)
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