France, Feb. 4 -- Brazil's Navy has sunk a decommissioned 1960's aircraft carrier that had been floating offshore for three months, despite environmental groups claiming the ship was packed with asbestos and other toxic materials.

The "planned and controlled sinking" took place on Friday some 350 kms off the Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area with an "approximate depth of 5,000 metres," the Brazilian Navy said in a statement.

The decision to scuttle the 32,000-tonne "Sao Paulo", announced Thursday, came after Brazilian authorities had tried in vain to find a port willing to welcome it.

Environmentalists say the ship is carrying tonnes of toxic waste, with French environmental group Robin des Bois describing it as a "30,0...