French activists protest as ship carrying nuclear fuel prepares to leave for Japan

Record ID: 898129

  • Title: French activists protest as ship carrying nuclear fuel prepares to leave for Japan
  • Date: 5th July 2017
  • Summary: CHERBOURG-EN-COTENTIN, FRANCE (JULY 5, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRUCK TRANSPORTING MOX NUCLEAR FUEL POLICE OFFICERS ON BOAT TRUCK TRANSPORTING NUCLEAR FUEL PERSONNEL ON BOAT VARIOUS OF CRANE ON DOCK LOADING NUCLEAR FUEL ON BOAT PERSONNEL ON BOAT FUEL BEING LOADED ON BOAT CHERBOURG-EN-COTENTIN, FRANCE (JULY 4, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PORT FERRY IN PORT FERRIES TERMINAL POLICE VANS SIGN READING (French): "NO TO THE "PLUTONIUM-CONNECTION"" PROTESTERS GATHERED BESIDE NUCLEAR FUEL CONVOY ROUTE GREENPEACE FRANCE SPOKESMAN FOR NUCLEAR ISSUES, YANNICK ROUSSELET, BRIEFING PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) GREENPEACE FRANCE SPOKESMAN FOR NUCLEAR ISSUES, YANNICK ROUSSELET, SAYING: "Tonight there will be a transportation of MOX, mixed oxide, a fuel made from plutonium. We think this transportation should not take place, it is extremely dangerous. It will transit by truck to leave by boat to Japan which means 65 days at sea, across the world's oceans. And so, we consider that this shipment is extremely dangerous from an environmental perspective. If there were a shipwreck, this ship would leave containers in the depths of the sea, impossible to retrieve, which would have very substantial environmental consequences." PROTESTERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (French) GREENPEACE FRANCE SPOKESMAN FOR NUCLEAR ISSUES, YANNICK ROUSSELET, SAYING: "The second very important point: this plutonium multiplies, which means it can be used for military purposes. Someone could try to hijack these materials to use them for military purposes. Therefore for us it is clear that this shipment doesn't need to happen, it is useless." FLAG READING: "STOP PLUTONIUM" VARIOUS OF POLICE VAN
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2017 11:18
  • Keywords: nuclear Japan Greenpeace fuel MOX France loading ship protest
  • Location: CHERBOURG-EN-COTENTIN, FRANCE
  • City: CHERBOURG-EN-COTENTIN, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016OFYAFB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Two consignments of mixed oxide fuel (MOX) were loaded onto a boat in the French port of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on Wednesday (July 5) to be shipped to Japan and used by Japanese electricity company Kansai.
    On Tuesday, environmental activists had gathered near the port to protest the shipment, saying it could harm the environment in the event of a possible shipwreck, or could even be hijacked and used for military purposes.
    Both packages are four metres long and weigh 500 kilograms. They are protected by multiple layers of steel to shield workers from radioactivity.
    Areva TN, a branch of Areva and global leader in nuclear transport, supervised the operation along with International Nuclear Services, a state-owned British company.
    Several ships plan to travel close together on a route that will not be disclosed for security reasons, protected throughout the journey by a special unit of the British police amongst other security measures.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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