Transports of Radioactive Materials by Sea:
Security and Safety Concerns

Radioactive Sea Shipments

Background
The Latest
Earlier Shipments

The Death Ship (FUNAM (Argentine environmental NGO) Press Release, January 23, 2001)

Shipment of U.S.-Origin Plutonium Set to Depart France on Eve of Presidential Transition; Highlights Clinton's Troubling Plutonium Legacy (NCI Press Release, January 19, 2001)

  Unnecessary Shipment of MOX Fuel Threatens the Well-Being of En Route Countries (Citizens Nuclear Information Center Press Release, January 17, 2001)

 Greenpeace Activists Arrested in Sea-Based Protest Against Loading of Japanese Plutonium Fuel (Greenpeace International Press Release, January 19, 2001)

Argentina, Chile Have Legal Right to Force Nuclear Waste Ship Out of Exclusive Economic Zone (NCI Press Release, January 12, 2001)

• English Version

• Spanish Version (translation)

  BREAKING NEWS: Plutonium MOX Fuel Shipment Will Soon Depart France for Japan

• Citizens Nuclear Information Center Alert, January 12, 2001 

• Cogema Press Release, January 9, 2001

• Cogema Information on MOX Fuel Shipment

Latest Information on December 2000 High-Level Nuclear Waste Shipment to Japan

Court Blocks Nuclear Ship from Argentine Waters (Reuters, January 12, 2001)

El "Pacific Swan," Amenaza Mundial    (Statement by the Hon. Jorge E. Illueca, former President of Panama, in Spanish, December 25, 2000)

Largest Ever Nuclear Waste Shipment Departs for Japan; Will Avoid Risky Passage Through Panama Canal (Nuclear Control Institute, December 20, 2000)

Greenpeace Condemns France, UK and Japan as Nuclear Waste Shipment Heads for South American (Greenpeace International, December 20, 2000)

Shipment Alert: 6th Transportation of Japanese High-Level Radioactive Waste to Go Around Cape Horn, South America  (Citizens Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo, December 21, 2000)

Japanese Federation of Electric Power Companies, Statement on Shipment's Route, December 20, 2000

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL) Statement on Shipment, December 18, 2000

Japanese Foreign Ministry Reply to Diet Member's Question on Routing of Future Nuclear Sea Shipments (December 21, 2000)

Joint Statement by the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay on Japan's High-Level Nuclear Waste Shipment, December 21, 2000

• Original statement in Spanish 

• UnofficialEnglish translation 

• OfficialPortuguese translation

Background

Nuclear Sea Shipments: An Overview

The Nuclear Control Institute seeks to direct international attention to severe safety and security risks associated with sea shipments of plutonium, and of highly radioactive wastes from plutonium reprocessing, that are now proceeding from Europe to Japan. Click here for full overview

Chronology of Nuclear Sea Shipments

World Map of Plutonium Sea Shipment Routes
(check out countries along the nuclear seapaths)
  

Status Report on Sea Shipments of Radioactive Material (Nuclear Control Institute, November 6, 2000)

Letter on the Sea Shipment of Radioactive Materials
Tom Clements, NCI Executive Director, to United Nations Missions, April 18, 2000

The Sea Shipment of Radioactive Materials: Safety and Environmental Concerns
Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, Presented to the Conference on the Carriage of Ultrahazardous Radioactive Cargo by Sea: Implications and Responses, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 18-19, 1999

A Critique of Physical Protection Standards for Transport of Irradiated Materials
Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, Presented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Phoenix, AZ, July 1999

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Nuclear Waste Shipments
Sharon Tanzer, NCI Vice President (updated January 12, 2000)

The Dangers of Shipping Vitrified High Level Waste: An Update
Dr. Edwin S. Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, January 10, 2000

       NCI Press Release, October 14, 1999

PNTL vessels Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal at anchor.  These ships are used to ship mixed-oxide nuclear fuel ("MOX") and vitrified high-level nuclear waste ("VHLW") from France and Great Britain to Japan.  Photo by Martin Forwood, Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment [CORE]  info@core.furness.co.uk

Greenpeace protesters board the Pacific Swan, February 6, 1998.  Photo by Daniel Beltra,  Greenpeace International

The Latest

Photos: NCI at the Panama Canal
NCI President Paul Leventhal Visits Panama Canal To Review Security Arrangements for Sea Shipments of Ultrahazardous Radioactive Waste, January 13-18, 2000

                     

 

Panama Steps Up Security for Ship with Atomic Waste
Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, January 15, 2000

          English text

          Spanish text (translation)

NCI to President Clinton: New Analysis of Terrorism Threat to Panama Canal Nuclear Shipments is Needed
NCI Letter to President Bill Clinton, January 13, 2000

          English text

          Spanish text (translation)

International Law Permits Panama to Prohibit Shipments of Ultrahazardous Radioactive Materials Through the Panama Canal
Professor Jon M. Van Dyke, University of Hawai'i Law School, and Eldon V.C. Greenberg, NCI Counsel, January 14, 2000

           English text

          Spanish text (translation)

First Test of Panama's Protection of Nuclear Cargo to be Observed by Nuclear Control Institute
NCI Press Release, January 12, 2000

           English text

          Spanish text (translation)

Sea Shipment of High-Level Nuclear Waste Soon to Reach Panama Canal
Letter from NCI President Paul Leventhal to HE Guillermo Ford, Ambassador of Panama to the United States, January 5, 2000

               English Text

               Spanish Text (translation)

Inadequate Security for Plutonium MOX Shipment to Japan
Paul Leventhal, NCI President, letter to Secretary of Defense William Cohen, February 11, 1999

Safety Aspects of Unirradiated MOX Fuel Transport
Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, paper contributed to the Final Report of the International MOX Assessment, November 1997

Panama Press: Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Riesge

Betty Brannan Jaen, opinion column in La Prensa de Panama, January 26, 2000 (in Spanish)

Environmentalists Concerned About the Upcoming Transit of the Canal by Radioactive Cargo on Pacific Swan
La Prensa de Panama, January 7, 2000 (English translation)

NCI Warns En Route Nations of Dangerous High-Level Waste Sea Shipments
Letter from NCI President Paul Leventhal to Jamaica and other en route nations, December 23, 1999

 

Earlier Shipments

 

Plutonium Shipment to Japan is Unlawful and Vulnerable, U.S. and British Government Documents Reveal
NCI-Greenpeace International Press Release, September 30, 1999

Background Paper on Security Arrangements for Japan's Plutonium Shipment
Greenpeace International, September 30, 1999

 FSM "President's Statement on the Clandestine Shipment from Europe to Japan"
Statement by Leo A. Falcam, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, September 13, 1999

Japanese Plutonium Off Australian Coast Can Be Used to Make Nuclear Weapons
NCI Press Release, September 2, 1999

Concerns Over Shipment of Nuclear Materials
Statement by the South Pacific Forum Secretariat, July 23, 1999

Open Letter to Prime Minister Keizu Obuchi, Government of Japan, Opposing Japan's Plutonium Program and MOX Sea Shipments
Letter from Greenpeace International, NCI, and nine other public-interest organizations to the Prime Minister of Japan,, July 19, 1999

    CLICK HERE to view photos of NCI and Greenpeace representatives presenting letter at Japanese Embassy, Washington, DC, July 19, 1999

Statement by Caricom Heads of State on the Shipment of Nuclear Waste through the Caribbean Sea
Statement by Caricom Heads of State, 20th Regular Session, Port-of-Spain, July 16, 1999

First Sea Shipment of Plutonium 'MOX' Fuel Due to Depart from Europe This Week After U.S. Bows to Japan on Weak Security Plan
NCI Press Release, July 13, 1999

Safe Passage?  Panama Canal a terrorist's dream come true, say some officials worried about security after U.S. handoff
Todd Robberson, Dallas Morning News, July 4, 1999

NCI, Greenpeace to DOE Secretary Richardson: US Must Review Security of Belgian MOX Shipment Under US-EURATOM Treaty

Letter from NCI and Greenpeace to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, June 11, 1999                                         DOE Reply, July 12, 1999

DOD on Security Plan of Radioactive Waste Shipment through Panama Canal
Letter from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, DOD, to NCI, June 8, 1999 (Response to NCI letter of February 11, 1999)

US Government Approves Transport Plan for First Plutonium "MOX" Fuel Shipment from Europe to Japan

          NCI Press Release, May 17, 1999

Letter from Richard Stratford, U.S. State Department, to Mitsuru Kitano, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 11, 1999

Letter from Barbara Larkin, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, U.S. State Department, to a Member of the House International Relations Committee, April 27, 1999

State Department Statement on MOX Shipment Security, April 1999

Declaration of Santo Domingo
Second Summit of Heads of State And/Or Government of the States, Countries, and Territories of the Association of Caribbean States, 16-17 April, 1999

DOE on MOX Shipment Security Plan
Letter from Leonard Spector, director, Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, DOE, to NCI, March 24, 1999 (Response to NCI letter of January 21, 1999)

DTRA on MOX Shipment Security Plan
Letter from Defense Threat Reduction Agency to Nuclear Control Institute, March 23, 1999 (Response to NCI letter of February 11, 1999)

Japanese Diet Members Express Concerns About MOX Shipment
Letter from Members of the Japanese Diet to Rep. Benjamin Gilman, March 4, 1999

CARICOM Leaders Condemn Nuclear Shipments through the Caribbean Sea
Statement from the Communique of the Tenth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Suriname, 4-5 March, 1999

South Pacific Forum Expresses Concern About Nuclear Sea Shipments
South Pacific Forum Press Statement 1499, March 2, 1999

NCI Warns En Route Nations of Inadequate Security Arrangements for Upcoming MOX Shipment to Japan

NCI Letter to Embassies of 30 En Route Nations, February 5, 1999

Response from the Embassy of Jamaica, February 11, 1999

Response from the Embassy of New Zealand, February 15, 1999

House Committee Probes Inadequate Security Plan for Shipment of Weapons-Usable Plutonium Fuel to Japan

Letter from Rep. Benjamin Gilman, chairman, House International Relations Committee, to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, February 11, 1999

NCI Press Release, February 15, 1999

NCI Letter to Secretary of Defense William Cohen, February 11, 1999

Letter from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, DOD, to NCI, June 8, 1999

U.S. Government Statement on Japanese MOX Shipment
Press Guidance, U.S. Department of State, January 20, 1999

U.K. Government Statement on Japanese MOX Shipment
Johnathan Battle, UK Energy Secretary, January 18, 1999

Japanese Security Plan for Plutonium Shipment is "Grossly Inadequate" and Should be Rejected, NCI warns DOE

NCI Letter to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, January 21, 1999

NCI Press Release, January 22, 1999

Letter from Leonard Spector, director, Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, DOE, to NCI, March 24, 1999

Major Security Breach at Panama Canal Revealed as the Next Nuclear Waste Shipment Looms

NCI-Greenpeace press release, December 22, 1998

NCI-Greenpeace letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, November 6, 1998 (Identical letters also sent to Secretaries of Defense and Energy)

Panama Canal Commission Report on 'Pacific Swan' Greenpeace Incident, February 11, 1998

La Prensa Story on Lax Security in Panama Canal During Nuclear Shipment
Betty Brannan, La Prensa, November 18, 1998 (in Spanish)

Falsification of Safety Data Raises New Concerns About Japanese Plutonium
NCI Press Release, October 15, 1998

NCI Finds "Gaping Holes" in Legal Barriers to Environmental Disaster from Nuclear Transports

NCI Press Release, September 21, 1998

"The Need for Further International Action Regarding Safety of Sea Transport of Ultrahazardous Radioactive Materials," Jon M. Van Dyke, Professor of Law, University of Hawai'i School of Law, August 17, 1998

Nuclear Waste Ship Arrives in Japan Via Panama Canal Despite Strong International Protests
NCI Press Release, March 10, 1998

Nuclear Waste Ship Heading for Japan Poses Threat to Pacific Nations
NCI Press Release, March 2, 1998

Nuclear Waste Shipments in the Caribbean and Panama Canal
Raise Severe Accident, Terrorism and Proliferation Risks
Paul Leventhal, President, NCI, February 9, 1998

CLICK HERE for more information on Greenpeace at the Panama Canal.

CLICK HERE to view photo of Greenpeace protesters boarding a shipment of high-level nuclear waste in the Panama Canal.

Nuclear Control Institute Supports Puerto Rican Lawsuit to Bar Nuclear Waste Ship From U.S. Waters

NCI Press Release, February 2, 1998

Letter from Hon. Pedro Rossello, Governor of Puerto Rico, to U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, January 23, 1998

NCI Asks Panama Canal Commission About Safety, Security Measures for Waste Shipment

NCI Letter to Panama Canal Commission, January 22, 1998

Response from Panama Canal Commission, January 28, 1998

Excerpts from Sandia National Laboratories "Red Team Report"

En Route States Protest Latest Waste Shipment

Statement by OPANAL, February 5, 1998

Statement by Commonwealth Caribbean High Commissioners, January 30, 1998

Statement by the Government of Jamaica, January 23, 1998

Statement by the Government of New Zealand, January 23, 1998

Statement by the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, January 23, 1998

Statement by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, January 20, 1998

Statement by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, January 16, 1998

Statement by the Government of the Dominican Republic, January 2, 1998

The Most Important Questions and Answers About the Nuclear Waste Shipment
Sharon Tanzer, NCI Vice President, January 21, 1998

Members of Congress Ask President Clinton to Delay Waste Shipment
Letter from five Members of Congress to President Clinton, January 15, 1998

NCI and Greenpeace International Warn of Dangers of First Nuclear Waste Shipment through the Caribbean and Panama Canal

Safety Aspects of Unirradiated MOX Fuel Transport
Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, paper contributed to the Final Report of the International MOX Assessment, November 1997

NCI to UK Government: Halt Dangerous Plutonium Sea Shipments on "Ro-Ro" Ferries

The Sea Transport of Vitrified High-Level Wastes: Unresolved Safety Issues
Report by Edwin Lyman, PhD, scientific director, NCI, submitted to the 40th Session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee, July 11, 1997

NCI, Greenpeace Warn CARICOM Member States About Impending Sea Shipments of Plutonium Fuel and Nuclear Waste

Ultra-Hazardous Nuclear Shipments by Sea and the NNPT
NCI Position Paper Prepared for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT) Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepComm), United Nations, New York, April 7, 1997

Dodging a Cyclone and Protests, Nuclear Waste Ship Arrives in Japan
NCI Press Release, March 17, 1997

Nations Urged to Demand Secret Route Signal, Deploy Coast Guard, to Track Nuclear Waste Ship
NCI Press Release, January 10, 1997

NCI to Nations in Path of Nuclear Waste Ship: Demand Precise Information on Ship's Course and Deploy Your Coast Guard Cutters
NCI Letter, January 8, 1997

The Sea Transport of Vitrified High-Level Radioactive Wastes: Unresolved Safety and Legal Issues

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Chief Forwards NCI's Nuclear Waste Transport Proposals for Action
IMO letter, May 16, 1996

The Importation and Storage of High-Level Radioactive Wastes at Japan's Rokkasho-Mura Facility: Safety Concerns

NCI to IMO: Sea Shipment Safety Standards Must Be Tightened

"U.N. Maritime Body to Tighten Control on Nuclear Transports"
NCI/Greenpeace press release, March 8, 1996

"Addressing Safety Issues in the Sea Transport of Radioactive Material"
By Dr. Edwin Lyman, presented to the IMO Special Consultative Meeting, March 4-6, 1996, London, England

"Applying the Precautionary Principle to Ocean Shipments of Radioactive Material"
By Professor Jon Van Dyke, presented to the IMO Special Consultative Meeting, March 4-6, 1996, London, England

Dangers of Radioactive Cargoes and Legal Rights of Coastal States to be Aired at International Meeting
NCI press release, February 29, 1996

Members of U.S. Congress Raise Concerns About 1995 High-Level Waste Shipment to Japan

First Sea Shipment of Radioactive Waste Should Be Delayed Because of Safety Problems, Princeton Scientist Warns

Safety of Japanese Plutonium Shipments is Not Assured, Experts' Report Reveals

Visit our other special section:

Plutonium Air Shipments
By the speck, plutonium can kill. By the ton, it will be
flown in casks that can't survive a plane crash. Why?