THE first two vessels in a toxic "ghost fleet" of former US Navy ships set sail for the North-East last night after weeks of protests by environmentalists.

An 11th hour court bid to prevent the obsolete ships leaving the James River in Virginia failed last week.

And last night, the Second World War era oil tankers Canisteo and the Caloosahatchee began the 4,000-mile journey to the Able UK yard at Graythorp, Hartlepool.

Six tugs towed the two vessels, followed by two ships equipped to deal with any spills until they reach the Atlantic.

From there, one large ocean-going tug will tow them to the Able UK yard where they will be scrapped.

Two more of the ships are expected to leave tomorrow. The remaining nine are being held while a court battle between the US Maritime Administration and American environmental groups is fought out in Washington.

Campaigners claim that the ships could break up during the journey, causing an environmental catastrophe.

Friends of the Earth said it would seek a judicial review in the High Court in London this week into the Environment Agency decision to extend Able UK's waste management licence to facilitate all 13 ships.

The group's director, Tony Juniper, said: "Unless the Environment Agency revokes or justifies its decision, we will seek a judicial review.

"These toxic ships should be disposed of in the US, and not sent on a hazardous cross-Atlantic voyage to be dumped on the North-East.

"Their ghost fleet decision may come back to haunt them."

The vessels, which are half a century old, are contaminated with chemicals including PCBs, asbestos and heavy diesel.

More than 150 angry protestors packed a public meeting in Hartlepool on Friday.

Last night, many were dismayed by the news that the ships had set off.

Peter West, of Hartlepool, said: "People really are very scared about this and feel nobody, not even the most brilliant scientist, can give a cast iron guarantee this won't harm them."

He added: "The best thing the people of Hartlepool can wish for is that a typhoon hits the ships halfway through the journey."

But Robert Johnson, a spokesman for the US Department of Transportation, which oversees the US Maritime Administration, caretaker of the fleet, said: "We think we've done everything possible to ensure the success of this operation."

Safety checks are continuing on the remaining nine ships.

A Federal District Court will decide whether they can have permission to set sail on October 20.

Able UK has stated that the vessels are safe to make the journey.

The claim has been supported by US authorities and the Environment Agency.

Peter Stephenson, Able UK's managing director, said he was confident the remaining nine would arrive in Teesside by next spring and has accused environmentalists of "scaremongering".

The contract is worth £16m and will create about 200 jobs.

The Environment Agency was unavailable for comment last night.