Substandard single hull vessel carrying over a tonne of plutonium-laced MOX fuel is due to enter Irish Sea in days

Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca called on the Government today to prevent a lethal shipment of plutonium from entering the Irish Sea.

Cllr de Burca said: "The Atlantic Osprey ship, owned by the British Nuclear Group and transporting 1.25 tonnes of MOX fuel containing about 90kg of plutonium, is due to pass along the east coast of Ireland, and past the coastline of County Wicklow, through the Irish Sea in the next couple of days. It is travelling from Sellafield to Cherbourg before the shipment is then delivered to the Beznau plant in Switzerland.

"I am informed by a reliable source that the Atlantic Osprey lacks many of the security aspects considered necessary for the shipment of such materials. It has a single hull, a single engine and it lacks naval armament or an escort ship. Moreover, the MOX fuel assemblies in question are not being transported in a specially engineered heavy container such as that used in the BNFL MOX shipment to Japan in 1999. While plutonium shipments through the Irish Sea are generally unacceptable, this one appears to be especially dangerous.

"One particular concern is the risk that the ship could be targeted by those with malicious intent. Only last week, the Director General of MI5 said that, 'the [terrorist] threat is serious and growing... and may include the use of radioactive materials and nuclear technology.'

"This shipment is an insult to the health and economic well-being of the Irish people. The Green Party is calling on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to seek answers from the British Ambassador immediately about this shipment. The Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment must also communicate their abhorrence of this shipment and the manner in which it is being carried out to their British counterparts. If this shipment has already been discussed by Irish Ministers or officials and their British counterparts, the onus is on the Government to tell us why it is allowing the shipment to go ahead.

"The Taoiseach, Minister Ahern and Minister Roche all represent constituencies on the east coast of Ireland. They should not allow this shipment to go ahead."