Imminent Nuclear Shipment

international | environment | press release Thursday September 16, 2004 15:19 by Keith - Irish Sea Nuclear Free Flotilla

U.S. weapons-grade plutonium set to leave Charleston, South Carolina in the next few days for France

This is a sligthly edited version of a press release i received this morning,
The original is released as an internal communication, addressed to members, so I have taken out some contact numbers and personal stuff, as I'm not sure they would want it posted here.

I'm sure it would be fine to send urgent queries to radar@iol.ie, marked attn. ISNFF.

Irish Sea Nuclear Free Flotilla
13 Mountpleasant Square,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Ireland.
15th September 2004

To Members of the Irish Sea Nuclear Free Flotilla

We are seeking your assistance in two areas. We are inviting you to join flotillas in Cherbourg or possibly Dublin later in the month, and asking you to help us in the next 48 hours by calling and/or emailing the Irish Government members and European Commissioner listed below and perhaps your local T.D., asking them to please lead the call for the immediate suspension of a shipment of U.S. weapons-grade plutonium set to leave Charleston, South Carolina in the next few days for France. Timing is critical, as the ships have not yet loaded the plutonium. Let me give you some background.

Some of you will be informed as to the proposed plutonium cargo about to be consigned from Charleston, S. Carolina on the east coast of the USA to Cherburg in France (ETA c. 27-29th September). It is destined ultimately for Cadarache in Provence in the South of France, a nuclear plant where the plutonium is to be modified/reprocessed into MOX fuel which the US nuclear companies want to test in their reactors so as to re open nuclear reprocessing in the USA. President Jimmy Carter had banned it in 1977 and it has not recommenced. On the 6th of September there was a significant nuclear accident at Cadarache resulting in the contamination of two workers and of the plant itself. The implications of the accident have not been disclosed and pubic notification of the accident was not made for three days. Apart from any concerns about the transports in the first place, this accident has resulted in the following disturbing scenario. Due to radioactive contamination the Cadarache plant may not now be in a physical state to deal with the plutonium and possibly it may not even be fit to receive and secure it. This could give rise to the scenario of the plutonium coming across the Atlantic and then having to be shipped back to the US in its existing state. This would create two highly dangerous shipments for no purpose at all.

While these shipments are disagreeable in themselves, this new situation demands at least that the shipments should be delayed until the situation in Cadarche is fully assessed and clarified. If there is a doubt at all as to the capacity of the plant to take the plutonium, there needs to be intervention by the European Commission, who is the authorising body for the proposed transport. To this end, we have writen to the Taoiseach and our relevant Government Ministers, Martin Cullen in Environment and Dermot Ahern in Communications, the Marine and Natural resources on behalf of the flotilla urging an intervention with the European Commission to seek the suspension of permission for the transport pending clarification of the situation in Cadarche. (Copy of the letter below.) We have also written in similar terms to the European Commissioner for Transport and Trade who is responsible for authorising the shipment, Ms.Loyola De Palacia, seeking her immediate intervention. We now ask that you might make a call to the offices of An Taoiseach and these Ministers and Commission offices at the numbers and email addresses below. Greenpeace have also separately made a similar call to the Irish Government. You might in addition contact your local T.D. in regard to this urgent issue.

An Taoiseach Ph. 01 619 4020 (Private Constituency Office, 01 6621010/6621011)
Email:webmaster@taoiseach.gov.ie

Minister Cullen Ph. 8882000 (ask for Secretariat to Minister or for Renee Dempsey)
Email: department@environ.ie

Minister Dermot Ahern Ph 01 678 2004
Email:webmaster@dcmnr.gov.ie

Mrs. Loyola de Palacia
Email: maritime-safety@cec.eu.int; maritime-policy@cec.eu.int http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport (mail to all three addresses)


It is anticipated that in the event that the shipments do depart Charleston they will arrive in Cherburg, France around the 27th -29th of September, or possibly a little later. It depends largely on the departure date and a twenty four hour watch is being kept on the S. Carolina coast. A Flotilla is organised in the Cherburg area.

"Once again we find we have to express the fear and revulsion of the nuclear industry felt by almost everybody in these seaborne nations. I hope that once again we will shame the silence of our so-called leaders."





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Irish Sea Nuclear Free Flotilla
14th September 2004

An Taoiseach,
Dept. of an Taoiseach
Government Buildings,
Dublin 2.

Dear Taoiseach,

We are a network of sea-going people from both sides of the Irish Sea and have been active for over two years out of concern about nuclear activity in the area of the Irish Sea. The Flotilla has approximately sixty individual participants in about twenty five boats.

You may be aware that in the next few days two cargo vessels are to depart Charleston South Carolina carrying a cargo of weapons grade plutonium. The ships are destined for Cherburg, France and the cargo will then be transported to Cadarache in Provence. The ships are due to pass within about 150 miles from Irish shores.

We as representatives of the Irish Seas Nuclear Free Flotilla are calling on the Irish Government to take the lead in urging the European Commission to stop this shipment. The recent contamination of the Cadarache plant as a result of an accident there on the 6th of September now puts into question the capacity of that plant to carry out the planned modifications to the plutonium and raises the possibility that the transport may well be fruitless. It is well accepted even in the nuclear industry that radioactive material should not be transported unless absolutely necessary as any increase in transport causes an increase in security and safety risk to the material. In this regard we are supporting the calls to have the transported halted at least until these matters are clarified.

Timing is critical, as the plutonium is still in Charleston, South Carolina, and has not yet been loaded onto the BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels) nuclear freighters. We hope that you will consider taking this initiative to request the European Commission to intervene.

Yours sincerely,

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