Tag: radiation

Empty ship for sale by bankrupt owners while cargo's costs subject of civil suit A ship that made headlines this year when a large amount of radioactive cargo spilled in its hold has wound up in limbo off North Vancouver while the owners duke it out in court.The MCP Altona has been anchored in the waters of Indian Arm near the Dollarton neighbourhood since the spring, when federal officials gave it a clean bill of health following the mop-up of a load of uranium concentrate that spilled onboard.The producers of the cargo, Saskatchewan's Cameco Corporation, say the owners of the ship owe them $19 million dollars or more for the losses Cameco suffered as a result of the accident. Cameco blames them for the spill, which took place when the Altona hit a winter storm in the central Pacific late last year.The ship's immediate owners, a company called MS MCP Altona GMBH & Co KG, have since gone bankrupt, meaning Cameco has to wait for the ship to be sold before it has any chance of collecting. While the vessel waits for a buyer, and lawyers attempt to untangle the associated legal mess, the Altona will stay in the Inlet.The ...

There was no radiation leak A fishing boat and a Russian nuclear-powered submarine collided off the country's Pacific coast, damaging the outer shell of the naval vessel but causing no radiation leak, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday.The nuclear reactor of the submarine St. George the Conqueror was unaffected and radiation levels after Wednesday's incident in Avachin Bay off Kamchatka Peninsula were normal, Interfax reported, citing a Russian navy source."There was no radiation leak. Only the light hull of the (submarine) was affected," the source was quoted as saying.The Defense Ministry could not be reached for comment.The submarine was moored at the nearby harbor of Vilyuchinsk for repairs to the hull, Interfax reported.Russia has the second largest submarine fleet in the world, after the United States. It is building a new fleet of nuclear submarines due to carry the next generation of Bulava missiles, which may be operational as early as next year.In 2000, the nuclear submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after explosions on board, killing all 118 seamen.Source: Reuters

It will wash up on Japan's shores again in between 20 and 30 years Scientists from the government's Meteorological Research Institute and the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry announced their findings at a meeting of the Geochemical Society of Japan this week, adding that some of the cesium will also flow into the Indian Ocean and, eventually, reach the Atlantic.The scientists estimated that some 3,500 terabecquerels of cesium-137 was released into the sea directly from the plant between March 11, when the earthquake and tsunami struck, and the end of May. Another 10,000 terabecquerels of cesium fell into the ocean after escaping from the reactors in the form of steam.One terabecquerel is a trillion becquerels, the standard measure of radiation, and the Japanese government has set the permissible level of iodine-131 for vegetables and fish at 2,000 becquerels per kilogram (2.2lbs).Cesium is considered a more serious threat, however, because of its relatively long half-life. Cesium has a half-life of around 30 years, can accumulate in muscles and is a known cause of cancer.The researchers believe that the cesium has initially dispersed into the Pacific from the coast of Fukushima Prefecture but will be taken to the southwest ...

Radioactive material released into the sea Radioactive material released into the sea in the Fukushima nuclear power plant crisis is more than triple the amount estimated by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japanese researchers say.Japan's biggest utility estimated around 4,720 trillion becquerels of cesium-137 and iodine-131 was released into the Pacific Ocean between March 21 and April 30, but researchers at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) put the amount 15,000 trillion becquerels, or terabecquerels.Government regulations ban shipment of foodstuff containing over 500 becquerels of radioactive material per kg.Takuya Kobayashi, a researcher at the agency, said on Friday the difference in figures was probably because his team measured airborne radioactive material that fell into the ocean in addition to material from contaminated water that leaked from the plant.He believed Tepco excluded radiation that originally came from airborne material. The report does not include cesium-134 as the research group initially lacked resources to measure it, meaning the amount of estimated radioactive material will increase with further calculations.The March 11 earthquake and tsuanmi knocked out reactor cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, triggering meltdowns and radiation leaks.Huge amounts of contaminated water accumulated during efforts to ...

Zero tolerance The radioactive threats are real, but the container scanning debate continues. Felicity Landon reports"In our view, there is no safe level of radioactive exposure and it is better to be safe than sorry." These are the words of Warren Smith, assistant national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia. In June, he called on the Australian government to adopt a 'consistent and rigorous approach' to testing all cargo arriving from Japan, following the nuclear crisis there.The same month, a consignment of radioactive tea from Japan was detained by customs officials in France. In May, contaminated containers from Japan were found in the Port of Rotterdam.Of course, all of these stories were the result of Japan's tragic earthquake. But totally separately, the Port of Genoa was facing the dilemma of a container that had arrived from Jeddah, transhipped via Gioia Tauro, found to be containing radioactive material.The container, which originated in Ajman in the UAE, was meant to be carrying 18 tonnes of copper for a consignee north of Genoa. It was not until it was actually on the quayside in the Voltri Terminal that checks detected the presence of Cobalt-60. That was in July 2010 - and as ...

According to the State Oceanic Administration of China. Radioactive substances that leaked from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have spread over far broader areas of the sea than Japan has acknowledged, according to the State Oceanic Administration of China.An Aug. 15 article in the electronic version of Science and Technology Daily, a Chinese newspaper, cited an ocean environment survey conducted off Fukushima Prefecture in the western Pacific Ocean as part of the Oceanic Administration's written reply to an inquiry by the newspaper.The article said that radioactive substances were detected in a 252,000-square-kilometer area within 800 kilometers to the east of Fukushima Prefecture. It said the level of cesium-137 was up to 300 times higher than corresponding concentrations in waters near China. Strontium-90 was detected at levels up to 10 times higher than those found in Chinese waters."One cannot rule out the possibility that radioactive contaminants have entered waters under China's jurisdiction," the Oceanic Administration was reported as saying.Source: Asahi News

Radiation levels are well within safe limits from a health perspective Radioactive material from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant is gradually spreading outside Japan into the global atmosphere but at extremely low concentrations that do not present health or transportation safety hazards, according to the United Nations organizations closely monitoring the situation.Japanese authorities confirm that all airports in the country, with the exception of Sendai which was affected by the tsunami of 11 March, continue to operate normally for both international and domestic operations. Continuous monitoring around these airports confirms that radiation levels are well within safe limits from a health perspective.Japanese authorities also confirm that all international seaports not damaged by the earthquake and tsunami are operating normally and that no health risk has been detected around the ports, based on the results of measurements of radiation levels by local governments.Further information covering all aspects of the response of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, as well as information regarding the radiation dose in Tokyo Bay can be found on the following websites:http://www.mlit.go.jp/page/kanbo01_hy_001411.htmlhttp://www.mlit.go.jp/kowan/kowan_fr1_000041.htmlSource: The Standard P&I Club

Weekly radiation screening of used vehicles in shipments Thanks to continued lobbying and work by the MUA, ARPANSA - Australia's nuclear safety authority - are planning to continue selective screening of imports of used cars from Japan.This is a great win for the union who have been campaigning for ongoing screening of car imports since the Fukushima disaster.ARPANSA will undertake weekly radiation screening of used vehicles in shipments arriving in Brisbane, Port Kembla, Melbourne and Fremantle."This is a great win for the union," said Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith."We've been campaigning on this issue for months."Whilst a batch screen of new cars was undertaken there is no knowing which part of Japan imported used cars come from."Ongoing screening will ensure that our members and the public are not put at risk."Source: MUA

Ports of Australia and AMSA support the union's push for radiation testing The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) will this week screen cars arriving in Port Kembla from Japan.This batch test for radiation follows months of campaigning by the MUA to ensure Japanese cargo and cars were screened for radiation upon arrival in Australia."This is a win for workers, and also a win for the Australian public," said Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith."Any risk of radiation is too big a risk to take. Workers and consumers come into direct contact with these cars - the Government watchdog must ensure there is no health and safety risk."The Australian public has a right to know if there is a radiation threat."In early May, cars arriving in Chile from Japan were found to be contaminated with radiation. Despite this, ARPANSA refused to commit to scanning cargo until today, after long-running talks with Maritime Union officials."We know from the tragedy in Japan that people are feeling the effects of radiation hundreds of kilometers away from the destroyed nuclear plant. We can't take the risk of contaminating workers," said Mr Smith."All we have been asking is for cargo to be tested before ...

UK MCA has become aware that equipment on board may contain radiation 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has become aware that equipment on board some ship types may contain radiation sources which could emit harmful radiation in the event of damage and is therefore trying to identify all types of ionising radiation sources on ships.UK ship owners, the Marine Safety Forum and the Emergency Response and Rescue Association are being approached for their assistance with obtaining this information. To view this request for information click hereAlthough this safety bulletin is specifically directed towards UK Ship Owners, the information will be of interest to ship owners of other flag states.Source : UK MCA