MOX transportation.

Typedef · 29-08-2002 12:14pm #1

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/mar2000/nuke-m08.shtml

In case some of you have missed it, there is currently a transportation of Mixed oxide fuel being returned from Japan to the UK under way.

This shipment is being returned because BNFL had falsified safety records pertaining to ploutonium levels.

Its reprocessing operations centre on the vast Sellafield site in northwest England. On August 20, 1999, a routine inspection by internal staff at Sellafield revealed identical measurements had been recorded for two different sets of plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel pellets, indicating that one set of records had simply been copied from another. The records were supposed to be a failsafe backup to confirm the accuracy of laser measurements by using manual micrometers on a percentage of the fuel pellets.

Reports of the false entry were leaked to the Independent newspaper, which ran the story in September. BNFL accepted falsification had occurred but claimed that only fuel rods containing pellets presently being prepared were affected, and that no suspect fuel rods had been exported for use in nuclear power stations around the world.

Over the next months this claim collapsed. By late September, BNFL conceded that at least one set of uninspected fuel rods had been exported to Japan.

It is this falsified shipment of radioactive material that is in transit via ship no less, back to Sellafield. Greenpeace has called on the Irish government to deploy Ireland's navy to ensure the shipment does not at any time come near Irish territorial waters. This would be a gesture if it were to happen. In the event a fire were to happen on the boat, within the vicinity of the British Isles, and radioactive vapour were diseminated from the vessel, it would be the case that Ireland would be contiminated, whether or not the navy is deployed.

Irrelevant? Perhaps. A public and grandious statement of displeasure and intent? I think so.

I think I would have to side with GreenPeace on this one and call on the government to ensure the shipment of MOX fuel does not come within the vicinity of Irish territorial waters, not because it will make Ireland 'ANY' safer, but because it will be a visible media event, that will bring attention to the fact that the MOX fuel that is being returned at best has had safety records falsified once. Ireland and Norway have been very vocal on the issue of Seallafield and even after the debacle with the MOX safety records, THORP[1] was still allowed to go online, with late and largely ineffectual attempts to stop it by the government.

[1] http://www.corecumbria.co.uk/newsapp/pressreleases/pressmain.asp?StrNewsID=43

Morpheus · 29-08-2002 12:33pm

I cant believe how 2 faced you greens can be???!

while i agree with the Navy being asked to ensure they stay in international waters and are secure... I cant believe that the greens are asking the Navy to do something!

Any other time that our armed forces are mentioned, you jump on the Neutrality wagon.

If we asked to increase the number of naval vessels to protect our fisheries, youd be the first party to be against it because it would in some way undermine your stand against the Nice treaty, or effect our neutrality, etc! INCREDIBLE!

You now want the same Navy to take ships away from protecting our precious fish reserves to ensure that a ship isnt attacked in open waters by terrorists, do you even KNOW how un armed our naval vessels are? They are not heavily armed enough, indeed the MOX ships carry more armament than our vessels.

We have 8 ships the smallest fleet in europe, covering an area of sea roughly 3 times the landmass of ireland, in fact the largest sea area owned by any country in europe, and you want some of them to move into the Irish sea and monitor the MOX vessels, while some spanish fishermen cleans out the atlantic seaboard, and cocaine shipments to cork triple!?

You realise theres nothing we can do, they are in international waters, if the navy intercepts them its technically an act of agression by our state.
:rolleyes:

JacquesPompidou · 29-08-2002 12:59pm

I say the Irish Navy should be deployed to protect the Irish public from the poisioned MOX that was reject by Japan and will be transported back through the Irish Sea.
This is not an issue of Neutality its an issue of protecting the Irish people, keeping Ireland Nuke Free and preventing foreign hazzordous material from harming the Irish.

Neutrality.

I highly agree that Ireland should remain a neutral country, I mean why get involved in the megalomanaic mentality of USA, Russia, England and China.
And I agree with Ireland staying neutral during the second world war as the 19th Centruy English greatly helped reduce a 8 million Irish population to 1 million. Why take sides with any colonial or imperial power?

Act of Agression??

F*ck those @ssholes how many times have there been serious mishaps at Mayfeild, Cumbria, or what ever other names that ugly Nuclear plant was called.

Keep Ireland Nuke Free.

Typedef · 29-08-2002 1:07pm

Not that is has anything to do with the safety of MOX transportation, but I'm not in favour of neutraility.

Yes you are right I voted against the Nice treaty, but because I thought that it's measures were not in the interests of this country and that Ireland's voice would be eroded in Europe, whilst bigger counties would gain a greater say.

Don't get me started on neutrality.

Quite obviously Irish fishing waters have been plundered by foreign fishing boats, because of Irish acession to the then EEC. If it were not for EU membership Ireland would arguably have a much vaster fishing fleet, without question, in fact right now the Irish government is in conflict with the EU because it is funding an expansion of the Irish fishing fleet.

In fact had the fishing industry in Irish territorial waters been developed for the benefit of this nation and this nation alone, Ireland would have gleaned a much greater amount of money from fishing then was ever delegated via EU structural funding.

That is not the issue though, access to EU markets without importation tariffs is where Ireland really benefits from EU membership.

On Mox: I am not saying the navy should intercept them, merley insure the shipment does not come within Irish territorial waters, for the sheer publicity of the act.

Really the government should have been able to capitalise on the fact that the MOX safety records were falsified to have sellafield permenantly shut down, publicity won't hurt. I'm not saying officially as a nation start a war over it, but do be seen to do something, even if it is just a publicity stunt.

Morpheus · 29-08-2002 1:12pm

Our neutrality is not a constitutional thing, we are technically not neutral, not many irish know this.

We operate a foreign policy of not getting involved in foreign countries disputes by actively taking sides.

Our neutrality is ok, but we are unable to defend ourselves, a neutral country shouldnt have to depend on any other countries to protect, or indeed provide any other emergency services to them.

We should be providing more equipment for our navy to protect our sovereign seas, the same for the army and air corps, especially in Search and Rescue.

That is not the point here tho, and I agree that one of our 1200 Corvette Naval vessels should be sent to shadow the MOX transports from inside our territorial waters with possibly one of our Maritime Patrol Aircraft keeping an eye on it too.

Morpheus · 29-08-2002 1:17pm

by the way, i voted in favour of Nice treaty, we are in europe one way or another, and theres no way back now, economically it would obliterate us, so i figure lets go all the way, I also voted in favour of REMOVING our neutrality.

Im still against the MOX thing, and in favor of military shadowing, but think that our neutrality is a waste of time.

just my two penc.... sorry cents

Keeks · 30-08-2002 1:09am

If you want to discuss the Nice treaty take it to the politcs board...pls keep this thread on topic.

Btw...does anyone have a solution as to what to do with the MOX?

BJJ · 14-09-2002 4:44pm

What to do with Mox?

1Protest
2Deploy the Irish Navy
3And gives those guys in the Rainbow Warriror lots of Support

The event satrts tomorrow, with laundering of money, corruption and bad ministries the Japanese Nuclear Industry is suf fering
TEPCO a leading corp, have had cracked reactors and leaking fuel.. The Japanese Governement plans to sell MOX pellets to inject life into it's dying nuke industry.
BNFL are in serious trouble recording massive financial losses, the Company is in Trouble. Prosessing this Posionous Nuclear Fuel will inject Life into the British Nuclear Fuel industry..

15th of Sep

Be there.

Let's Blow this British MOX ship out of the #Water!!!

mike65 · 14-09-2002 11:41pm

Originally posted by BJJ
What to do with Mox?

Deploy the Irish Navy

Let's Blow this British MOX ship out of the #Water!!!

/ :mad:/ :rolleyes: (not sure which is most appropriate)

Mike.

Typedef · 15-09-2002 7:24pm

Listening to the British Ambassador to Ireland I was struck by the fact that the UK did not initially develop Nuclear facilites like Sellafield out of an energy need, but rather a military desire to posess Nuclear weapons.

THORP was not even found to be economically viable. So I found the ambassador's argument about the UK needing Nuclear power a little flacid.

What I do think is that with all the resources available to the UK that it is quite capable of supplanting it's Nuclear energy industry with a combination of Wind and Hydro-electric power, if the will to do so existed.

Take Ireland for example, it is building the largest offshore windfarm in the world, so with an economy roughly seventeen times the size of the Ireland's I think the UK is quite well able to spend the money on ecologically sound energy productions and that as a well educated nation it should
Thus the issue of MOX transporation or worse yet meltdown at the Sellafield facility would not longer exist.
Not until someone invents cold fusion do I presonally think humans should exploit the atom as a means of energy production , because essentially Nuclear power is dirty and has the potential to be extremely lethal in the event of an accident, whats more transporting Nuclear waste from Japan to the UK via the sea seems like an unacceptable risk from where I sit, as essentially I doubt the validity of assertions that such transportation much like the activities that go on at Sellafield are 'safe'.

MOX transportation.

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