Ship Carrying Nuclear Waste Arrives in Australia

Greenpeace activists bear witness to a shipment of nuclear waste as it returns to Australia. The nuclear waste was generated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and sent to France in 2001 to be reprocessed. The nuclear waste has been classified as high-level waste by French authorities, contradicting Australia’s claims over its radioactivity, and it is carried by the BBC Shanghai, a vessel with a very poor safety record.

Unique identifier: GP0STPH05

Type: Image

Shoot date: 05/12/2015

Locations: Australasia, Australia, New South Wales, Tasman Sea

Credit line: © Dominic Lorrimer / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★★★★ (A)

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Ship Carrying Nuclear Waste Arrives in Australia

Greenpeace activists bear witness to a shipment of nuclear waste as it returns to Australia. The nuclear waste was generated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and sent to France in 2001 to be reprocessed. The nuclear waste has been classified as high-level waste by French authorities, contradicting Australia’s claims over its radioactivity, and it is carried by the BBC Shanghai, a vessel with a very poor safety record. A Greenpeace investigation found the waste still contains quantities of plutonium – highly toxic even in small quantities – despite reprocessing by French state-owned nuclear company, Areva.
The nuclear waste is unloaded off the BBC Shanghai at Port Kembla in southern Sydney and is then transported to Lucas Heights by road for interim storage.

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