Arctic route for nuclear shipments ?
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January 2001
The Japanese and Russian Governments are reported to be about to announce a proposal to transport high-level reprocessed nuclear waste from Europe to Japan via the Russian arctic coastal route. The government are expected to announce a joint project to build a special vessel to undertake the shipments around Norway and along the north coast of Russia, through the Bering Straight and into the Pacific.This route would be shorter than the using the Panama Canal, or going round either Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope - the routes used to date for shipments of high-level wastes and plutonium fuel to Japan. It would also avoid the protests from many countries on these routes. However, the dangers to the Arctic in the event of an accident and the difficulty of recovering either the vessel or the waste containers will ensure strong opposition to the proposal.
Discussions are underway for a possible trial this summer to test the viability of using the northern Arctic route for shipments of vitrified high-level reprocessing wastes from Europe to Japan. The Japanese power industry is apparently in discussions with the Murmansk shipping company to use the Russian fleet of nuclear ice-breakers to open the way for the ships carrying the wastes.
A test voyage is possible this summer with the first full transport taking place in 2002. Using the route along Russia's north Arctic coast would not only be cheaper, as it is much shorter than the traditional routes used, for example around Africa or South America, but it would also avoid the international protests by countries along these existing routes. The proposal is likely to be strongly opposed and a major hurdle will be getting the agreement of the International Maritime Organisation.
There are three especially adapted and armed British ships used for the high level waste shipments and it is not known what additional changes might be needed to meet the demands of using the Arctic route.