Authorities in Belgium have released a car-carrier that has been sitting in detention at the port of Antwerp for nearly a month after landing at the centre of an environmental policy dispute.

In a statement the Environment, Nature & Energy Department indicated that the 47,500-gt Global Spirit (built 1987) will now proceed to a recycling facility in Turkey for scrapping.

“The vessel has been held in the port because of the owner’s plans to export the ship outside the OECD without being compliant with the applicable environmental regulations,” it said.

“The