Pacific Pintail leaves for Japan
Two British Nuclear Fuel (BNFL) ships are now sailing from Japan to the UK, threatening the health and security of millions of people around the world. The first ship, The Pacific Pintail, is carrying a lethal cargo of faulty MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) fuel. The second, the Pacific Teal, is providing armed guard against terrorist attack.
This MOX shipment contains enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs. Nuclear scientists have confirmed that it would be relatively easy to separate out the plutonium in the discarded fuel to create these bombs. And military analysts have warned that the ships are inadequately protected and that the cargo is likely to be coveted by Saddam Hussein or al-Qaeda.
An accident or terrorist attack on the ship could also disperse plutonium into the oceans and coasts, poisoning people and the environment for thousands of years to come.
The two ships sneakily set sail from Japan just a couple of hours before a High Court Judge in London was due to decide whether to grant Greenpeace an injunction to stop them. They have ignored the opposition of en-route countries, breaching the Exclusive Economic Zones of many Pacific Island nations and thereby breaking international maritime law.
There is no reason for this shipment. It is only occurring because British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) deliberately falsified vital quality control data when manufacturing the MOX, which they originally shipped to Japan in 1999. The Japanese rejected the MOX and insisted that the unusable fuel was returned to the UK before they would sign any contracts with BNFL to buy more fuel from their controversial new £470m Sellafield MOX plant.
Stop the Plutonium Terror!
The nuclear industry's arrogance and irresponsibility in undertaking this transport, especially after the tragic events of September 11th, must be challenged. If BNFL are allowed to sign new contracts with Japanese companies, we could face another 80 such shipments over the next 10 years. Greenpeace is campaigning to stop our seas becoming nuclear highways and for an end to the dangerous plutonium trade.
