hide random home http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/pintail.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)

Nuclear Waste Shipment

The countries marked in green in this World map in GIF (12KB) have voiced opposition or taken action to prevent the high level nuclear waste shipment from passing through their territorial waters. They include: Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Portugal, Equador, Fiji, Dutch Antilles, Jamaica, Philip pines, Chile, Spain, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Federated States of Micronesia, British and US Virgin Islands, Honduras, Aruba, Hawaii, Ethiopia, South Africa, Republic of Nauru, Mauritius, Antigua and Barbuda.

Greenpeace's fastest and longest-range ship, MV Solo, is currently tracking a shipment of plutonium waste on its still undisclosed route from a French reprocessing plant to its country of origin, Japan. The waste ship, the Pacific Pintail, left France on 23rd February amidst protests by Greenpeace and local people living near the plant. As of early March some 25 nations have voiced opposition to the nuclear waste shipment or denied the ship access through their territorial waters.

This is the first time high level nuclear waste from reprocessing has been returned to its country of origin. However, the French and British reprocessing industry plans to return over 3,000 blocks of plutonium waste to Japan in the course of the next 10 to 15 years. Although they originally promised to be open about the shipment, France, Japan and the United Kingdom -- those responsible for this trade -- have refused to reveal the nuclear waste shipment's secret route.

Despite the tremendous risks involved in such shipments, the authorities involved in this trade have been unwilling to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment of their program. They have also been unwilling to provide the necessary information to nations along the potential routes and may be put at risk. As a result, countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, Latin America and the South Pacific have protested and/or banned the transports.

GREENPEACE VESSEL TRACKS WASTE SHIPMENT LEAVING CHERBOURG

This CLICKABLE map (click on red dots to retrieve update): (close-up) shows the day-to-day route taken so far by the Pacific Pintail Shot of Pacific Pintail(Click to enlarge) shadowed by the Greenpeace ship MV Solo (aerial shot). Click to enlarge.
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Jim@comms.greenpeace.org
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