Latest news
Second Japan waste shipment poised to commence
Three transport flasks, containing 76 canisters of HAW, will depart Sellafield site by rail before being transported by sea from the UK to Japan. The vessel that will be used will be the Pacific Grebe, owned by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL), a subsidiary of International Nuclear Services (INS).
For security reasons, the route and approximate duration of the journey will be made public only after the vessel’s departure.
This waste shipment will be the maiden operational voyage of Pacific Grebe, a second-generation purpose-built PNTL vessel that entered service in December 2010. One of three new vessels, Pacific Grebe incorporates in its design and operation the experience gained from PNTL’s 25 years of safe nuclear transports. In total INS and PNTL have 40 years of experience in nuclear transports and travelled more than five million miles without any incident involving the release of radioactivity.
Matt Fox, head of marine operations at International Nuclear Services, said: “This transport has been meticulously planned in conjunction with Sellafield Ltd and our Japanese customers. These transport plans have been approved by the necessary independent regulators who have given their consent that it can take place.
“This is the fourteenth such transport from Europe and the second from the UK making it a safe, secure, tried and tested method of shipping nuclear waste.”
The transport flasks in which the HAW is contained are extremely robust and are designed, tested and modelled to exceed the very robust standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency. They weigh approximately 130 tonnes when loaded, about 90% of which is dedicated ensuring safety, with the remainder being waste.
The decade-long programme for repatriating waste is called the vitrified residue returns (VRR) programme. Sellafield Ltd’s VRR Programme Manager, Will Watson said: “Repatriating this waste will reduce the amount of overseas material held at Sellafield, fulfil UK Government policy and mark the delivery of contracts for waste management on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It will also continue to help in our goal to make Sellafield cleaner, safer and more productive.
“This latest step in the programme is the culmination of years of work between Sellafield Ltd, INS and our Japanese customers and we are confident that this second voyage will be as safe and successful as the first one a year ago.”
The PNTL fleet, which is operated by INS, has safely transported more than 2,000 flasks of nuclear material.
