SAFEGUARDS FOR UNIQUE SHIPMENTS OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL

摘要

NAC International was chosen as the U.S. Department of Energy's leadtransportation contractor for the return of spent nuclear fuel from foreignresearch reactors in Southeast Asia and Europe. NAC International conducted thetransportation of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) during calendar year 1999 bycombining the material located in ten different countries into two majormaterial movements. The first shipment consisted of fuel elements transportedfrom Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Taiwan, which were subsequentlyreceived by the Savannah River Site (SRS). The second shipment included SNF fromthe countries of Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Romania, Italy, and Portugalterminating at both SRS and the Idaho National Engineering and EnvironmentalLaboratory (INEEL). The unique safeguards aspect of these two individualshipments became apparent early in the shipment planning process. The shipmentoriginating in Southeast Asia would require the placement of an armed securityteam aboard the loaded vessel while under sail in the South China Sea and duringall ports-of-call. A portion of the shipment from Eastern Europe would departPitesti, Romania and be routed over-land through Hungary, a "third-party"country, and exit through the Port of Koper, Slovenia. With these goals inplace, NAC began initial steps in the process of developing security-planningdocuments, coordinating with U.S. and foreign government agencies, andultimately implementing the U.S. DOE approved security posture to assure theeffective protection of the material during movements. The shipment of materialfrom Southeast Asia began in early spring with the first leg of the shipmentdeparting Thailand and subsequently calling on three additional ports beforearriving at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station in April 1999. The EasternEuropean shipment was initiated with the transport of SNF from Pitesti, Romaniain late July 1999 that arrived at Charleston on August 19, 1999.