An out-of-service US Navy vessel has been banned from discharging tons of alleged toxic material off the Indian coast.

Harboring 238 tons of asbestos-containing material, 'an estimated 210 tons of (polychlorinated biphenyls) PCBs' and 126 used lead batteries, Platinum-II was to be taken apart at the Alang breaking yard in the state of Gujarat, the AFP news agency quoted the Indian authorities as saying on Tuesday.

Asbestos, formerly used in building materials for non-flammable qualities, could lead to an incurable lung disease. PBC, another harmful compound, has also been slapped exports ban by the US legal authorities.

The vessel made it to the Indian territorial waters last month. New Delhi, however, conditioned its dismantling on further investigation.

"Granting permission for beaching and breaking purposes of the ship will not be advisable," said the Indian environment ministry.

The Alang breaking yard, which is also called 'ship graveyard' and has hosted serial decommissioning, has for long been a focus of furious environmental campaigns amid reports that one in six of its workers showed signs of asbestos poisoning, the BBC reported.

HN/AKM