U.S. agency: Calif. 'ghost ships' are safe

The U.S. Maritime Administration says World War II-era ships are safe to move from Suisun Bay, Calif., to Texas scrap yards, a report said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation six years ago found the 77 "ghost ships" at Walnut Creek, Calif., "an immediate environmental threat."

However, acting Maritime Administration Director Julie Nelson last week insisted the ships are safe enough to move.

Nelson's visit was in response to a request by Knight Ridder reporters who were refused permission by the Maritime Administration to tour the Suisun Bay fleet, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported.

For more than a year, the Maritime Administration has stalled releasing hull-testing data that Knight Ridder requested under the Freedom of Information Act, the newspaper said.

The U.S. agency says ships in Virginia's James River are a higher removal priority.

While it costs about $1 million to ready a Suisun Bay ship to move it to Texas, the entire fleet's 2006 maintenance budget is just $1.2 million, the newspaper reported.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International