Cabinet calls for Tata Steel to explain alleged waste dumps

Minister for the Environment Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management) will address the management of Tata Steel about the way the company handles the unloading of iron ore and coal in the port of IJmuiden. She will do so on Monday during a previously planned working visit to the steel group.

The IJmuider Courant previously reported on the basis of its own research that residues are dumped into the water on a large scale when raw materials are unloaded. Tata Steel is responsible for ensuring that ships leave the harbor clean, but would pay those working on the ships to secretly sweep the mess into the sea after departure.

Heijnen said she was shocked by this story, calling the image that emerges from the newspaper’s reporting “indigestible.” She points out that regulators have also been observing for some time that Tata Steel is careless with the transport of raw materials.

At the beginning of this month, the Environment Service Noordzeekanaalgebied issued the company a fine for spreading too much dust. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) has also found violations, according to a ministry spokesperson. Likewise, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) cast doubt on the company's emissions data.

Tata Steel has been in the spotlight for some time after a series of reports about the emission of harmful substances and the effects this has on public health in the direct vicinity of the steel factory.

The company has promised to improve and wants to work cleaner. "But great plans for the future already require action today," Heijnen said.