ASBESTOS REMOVAL TEXAS
Texas shipbreaker gets biggest project to date with the arrival of a retired U.S. aircraft carrier

The USS Saipan is the first of what could be several decommissioned U.S. aircraft carriers that will undergo dismantling and asbestos removal by professional shipbreakers in the Port of Brownsville, Texas.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of naval veterans since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

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December 17, 2009 - The USS Saipan, a 27,000-ton, 820-foot aircraft carrier launched in 1974, arrived at its final destination last month at the Port of Brownsville in Texas, where it was shepherded into a slip at International Shipbreaking, Ltd. in preparation for asbestos removal crews and shipbreakers to begin dismantling.

The aircraft carrier is the largest vessel International Shipbreaking has ever scrapped. It’s also one of the biggest vessels to ever come up the Brownsville Ship Channel, said port officials.

The salvage project will employ some 250 workers, and it is expected they will encounter tons of asbestos below deck. Navy ships built before 1980 were constructed with abundant asbestos materials to protect personnel during combat and to help prevent fires at sea.

Asbestos before the mast

Asbestos is heatproof, flame-resistant and durable, and therefore useful in shipbuilding applications. But asbestos has since been recognized as a carcinogen that can lead to any number of serious asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that has repeatedly been diagnosed in retired Navy personnel.

Due to the very nature of their work, shipbuilders and shipbreakers are at a high risk for asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases.

Mesothelioma, the worst of cancers caused by asbestos, has a poor prognosis and can take decades to develop, making both diagnosis and treatment difficult. On average, a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma dies within 18 months of a diagnosis.

Two more aircraft carriers

International Shipbreaking, Ltd. said the asbestos materials will be disposed of by trained, licensed personnel and according to regulations governing the shipbreaking industry. The Navy will have two of its own people on site each day to monitor the operation, which is expected to last one year.

Eddie Campirano, port director and CEO, said International Shipbreaking and Esco Marine Inc. are hoping to secure funding through a federal pilot program that would pay for towing two more aircraft carriers of an even larger class than the Saipan to Brownsville for dismantling.

Time to seek justice

If you are a professional shipbreaker and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you are eligible for a free case review. Please notify us through the communication form on this page.

We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.