Two British freighters "lightly armed" loaded with enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs, have now compleated the home straight of an 18,000 mile transport of terror. As the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal end their journey from Japan via Australia's Tasmanian Sea, past South Africa,to the Irish Sea and home to Sellafield.Protest has followed the pair on every leg of the journy.
A flotilla of sailboats from Ireland and the British Isles and the Rainbow Warrior were waiting in the Irish Sea to peacefully protest and to highlight the madness of the shipment.The freighters were first spotted off the coast of Portugal and entered the Irish Sea on their way to Barrow.
The main concerns are that the ships are vulnerable to catastrophic accident or terrorist attack, which could lead to large-scale contamination of the marine environment and coastal communities.
The Irish Government, backed by all opposition parties has condemned the imminent arrival of the plutonium shipment,who this summer issued Iodine kits to households to protect against nuclear contamination , agreed to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to track the shipment and to ensure that it did not enter Irish waters.
The Nuclear Free Flotlla, which the Rainbow Warrior supported, comprises individuals whose love of the sea and communities that it supports, has united them to take action to protect it.
BNFL and the British Government should take note of the strength of commitment of some of the people whose lives they risk with their deadly shipments and radioactive discharges from the Sellafield nuclear plant.