AN attempt to break up a fleet of rusting former US Navy ships in the North-East is continuing to make progress, the man behind the project said.

Peter Stephenson, the managing director of Hartlepool-based Able UK, was responding to fresh criticism of the £11m deal from US environmental campaigners.

The Northern Echo reported yesterday how a draft environmental assessment on nine ships in the fleet, which are subject to legal action in the US, had been condemned as woefully inadequate.

The assessment was prepared by the US Maritime Administration (Marad), which is involved in court action with the Basel Action Network. Mr Stephenson said a decision on whether the ships, currently moored in Virginia, were towed across the Atlantic depended on the court action, which resumes next month.

He said: "We understand that Marad has now made available for review and comment the draft of a environmental assessment on the ships and has invited comments by March 29.

"It should be stressed that Able UK has no direct involvement in this court action, nor in the preparation of the draft environmental assessment.

"In the meantime, we are progressing with work on obtaining a new planning permission and waste management licence in order that we can begin work on the recycling of the remaining four vessels in the fleet currently berthed at our reclamation centre in Hartlepool."

* www.ghostships.co.uk