(346.3471) WISE Amsterdam - This particular shipment is not part of Dounreay's campaign to sign contracts to reprocess reactor fuel from around the world -- but clearly shows the potential dangers of these shipments (see related article).
The fuel was supplied to India in the 1960s, and has now been returned at the end of that contract. Dounreay is not releasing details of the transport, but confirmed it was carried from India to the UK in a normal cargo ship, and not a ship purpose-built for handling dangerous highly radioactive cargos.
"I find it hard to believe they could have been so irresponsible. Why couldn't they have waited a few months? After all, the fuel has been in India for nearly 30 years. And why couldn't they have completely avoided the Gulf and instructed the ship to go around Africa?" said Chris Bunyan of the Northern European Nuclear Information Group (NENIG). He added that it was irresponsible to transport such a dangerous cargo -- of nuclear weapons grade material -- anywhere near the Gulf, even before the fighting started, but to have transported it using an ordinary cargo ship, without the special safety requirements on purpose built ships, adds to that irresponsibility.
"If Dounreay succeeds in its campaign for a significant expansion of its reprocessing work, then we will see similar shipments coming to Dounreay from around the world. To increase the reprocessing work at Dounreay by perhaps four times means an increased threat of pollution from the shipments, increased radioactive discharges into the sea from Dounreay, and a greater risk of accidents.
"While we must continue to campaign to stop all these shipments, we must ensure the shipments which do take place are as safe as possible, and such dangerous cargos are only carried in ships especially built for carrying radioactive materials."
Source and contact: NENIG, Bain's Beach, Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland, tel: ()595) 4099, fax: (0595) 4082.
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