Off the Florida Keys, ships have been intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef on which coral, aquatic flora & to which sea life is attracted. The "reef" also attracts scuba divers which generates tourism income for the region.

A major concern with this proposal for the Bay of Nauadhibou is the hazardous materials contained in the ships' structure as well as the hazardous cargo that these ships may carry. The ships intentionally sunk off the Florida Keys had all of their environmentally hazardous materials removed prior to their sinking. I strongly suspect that if the Bay of Nauadhibou has been a dumping ground, little hazardous materials cleanup has been done.

There is no reason, however, why these ships could not be cleaned up & the hazardous materials cremoved, reconstituted & sold in order to pay for the proposed project. "One man's garbage is always another man's treasure".