Merseyside CND

An open letter to the owners, management and employees of Bibby Ship Management.

Dear Sir/Madam,
We all have a common concern about the safety of ships, their crew and cargo, whether they be in port or at sea.
This concern was significantly heightened in May 2013 when the Atlantic Cartier, a vessel managed by yourselves caught fire whilst in port at Hamburg, Germany whilst carrying 9 tons of radioactive uranium hexafluoride, 180 tons of flammable ethanol and 4 tons of an unnamed explosive. In the words of German Green Party M.P. Anjes Tjarks “Hamburg on barely scraped past a catastrophe”.
To ensure such an incident, or worse, does not happen again and to safeguard both your employees, port workers and the general public we demand that the following be implemented:
a. That ships carrying dangerous cargoes into any port should issue a public notice about the potential dangers which they might cause.
b. That the international transportation of uranium hexafluoride (UF-6) should cease from now on.
c. That any ship carrying radioactive materials should have regular fire inspections. Any ship which fails to pass such tests should be prevented from sailing. Both the ship owners and ships management should be held legally responsible for any breach of these regulations.
d. That any ship carrying radioactive materials should be subject to a new set of rigorous fire and safety standards regulations.
e. That the International shipping regulations be changed so that no radioactive materials can be transported on any ships which carry either explosives, or highly inflammable liquid gases.
f. That the International shipping regulations be changed so that no radioactive materials can be transported on any ships which carry either explosives, or highly inflammable liquid gases.

With this in mind we would like to hold a meeting with representatives of your company as a first step towards implementing a new set of industry wide standards regarding the transportation of all radioactive materials.
We look forward to hearing from you in the near future,
Yours sincerely,
Merseyside Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Merseyside C.N.D. will be holding a planning meeting at 5:30pm on Monday 24^th February at 151 Dale Street, Liverpool for the annual Peace and Ecology Festival. We’re looking for help, particularly from environmental, with organising this year’s event. Everyone is welcome to come along!

PRESS RELEASE
17th February 2014
Merseyside Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Radioactive Waste from nuclear-powered submarines may be stored at Capenhurst

On 13th February 2014 B.B.C News reported that the Ministry of Defence is considering the URENCO-owned Capenhurst as a storage facility for radioactive waste from disused nuclear submarines.
This announcement raises numerous questions and concerns. For example, what precautions are going to be implemented to ensure that this waste does not contaminate the surrounding environment and, furthermore, what methods will be used to store it.

The prospect of radioactive material being kept at Capenhurst will no doubt worry those in the local community, not least because there is a primary school just yards from the plant. Further questions which must also be answered are:
1. How will the waste be safely transported to the plant? Will nearby roads have to be upgraded in order to cope with the heavy traffic which will be going to and from the plant and will this be paid for by the local authority?
2. Who is responsible for the care and maintenance of the areas in which the waste is stored? Will it be Ministry of Defence, Urenco or the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority?
3. Capenhurst is currently guarded by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary – who describe themselves as an armed force. Will they now be working with the M.O.D. police to “secure” the plant?
4. How much will this cost the taxpayer and how can it be justified at a time when deep cuts are being made in public services.

This announcement refers to the waste being stored until 2040 when the UK’s geological disposal facility is planned to come into operation. Yet all of the proposals to build such a facility are being contested as there is no safe geologically site which can be found. So what will happen to this waste once it has been realised that there is no safe place it can be moved to? This proposal clearly shows the link between nuclear weapons and nuclear power ,both of which present a great danger to us all.

Close Capenhurst Campaign
Merseyside Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Liverpool Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament