Greenpeace warns of nuclear waste-laden ship passing through RP waters

MANILA, Philippines — Greenpeace sounded an alert Wednesday over possible hazards that a large ship transporting reprocessed nuclear waste may pose when it passes through Philippine waters next month. The environmental activist group urged the Philippine government to proactively prevent the passage of the waste in the vicinity of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in early May. It said about 1.8 tons of radiotoxic plutonium in Mixed-Oxide (MOX) fuel intended for nuclear power plants is traveling to Japan via the Cape of Good Hope and the southwest Pacific Ocean. Greenpeace said the shipment left France for Japan last March 5 and is expected to pass by the waters between the Philippines and Palau before it reaches Japan by mid-May. “Greenpeace believes that the MOX shipment is completely unacceptable and unjustifiable, exposing en-route nations such as the Philippines to the risk of accident and resultant radiological contamination. “The Philippine government should immediately act to prevent the country from being exposed to such risks, especially since we are not capable of dealing with any related accident that can occur," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaign manager Beau Baconguis, in an article on the Greenpeace website (www.greenpeace.org.ph). It also wrote a letter to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to question the lack of transparency in the manner the nuclear waste is being transported. It said the shipment completely disregards moral obligations of prior informed consent toward other nations with regard to such high risk transports. “The MOX shipment violates the cardinal principles of international law such as the precautionary principle, the rule of the conduct of environmental impact assessments, polluter pays, and the common heritage of mankind. It should not be allowed to sail through as to do so will undermine the normative value of the law," said lawyer Harry Roque Jr. The group said the shipment potentially violates Republic Act No. 6969, which prohibits the “entry, even in transit, of hazardous and nuclear wastes and their disposal into the Philippine territorial limits for whatever purpose." "The said MOX transport contains highly radioactive plutonium enough to make 225 nuclear weapons, representing an immediate risk of contamination to coastal communities along the route should anything go wrong," it said. Highly dangerous Greenpeace said MOX is more dangerous and radioactive than normal uranium fuel because of the presence of plutonium in the mix. It said the last such shipment to Japan occurred eight years ago, and the current transport has forgone passing by South America due to a ban on nuclear transports in the area. Baconguis said the MOX transport is yet another example of the unacceptable risks that nuclear energy creates. Greenpeace is calling for a moratorium on all shipments of nuclear fuel and nuclear waste until a system is in place which ensures the protection of the marine environment and the environment, economy and population of coastal states. It said such a system should include prior notification and consultation, environmental impact assessments, a satisfactory liability regime and protection from terrorism attacks. "The most likely route of the MOX shipment is via South Africa and across the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia, and through the coastal waters of South Pacific nations. Other possible routes are via the Caribbean and Panama Canal or via South America and Cape Horn," Greenpeace said. - GMANews.TV