International Nuclear Services (INS), its subsidiary Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL) and Sellafield Ltd have successfully completed the sixth shipment in a programme to return highly active waste to Japan from the UK.

The Pacific Grebe, one of PNTL’s fleet of specialist nuclear cargo vessels, arrived in Japan on 20 October 2016, having travelled via the Panama Canal.

132 canisters of waste, contained in five transport flasks, were unloaded at the port of Mutsu-Ogawara, from where they were transported by road to Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd’s storage facility at Rokkasho-Mura. Each transport flask will undergo a series of tests prior to the canisters being removed to be placed in storage.

This was the sixth shipment from the UK to Japan and another demonstration of the excellent progress being made in the programme to return foreign-owned waste stored in the UK to its country of origin. Overall it was the eighteenth shipment undertaken by PNTL from Europe to Japan since 1995.

The transport flasks were transported by rail from Sellafield to Barrow-in-Furness at the end of August, where they were loaded onto the Pacific Grebe for shipment to Japan.

Mark Jervis, INS managing director, said:

“We’re delighted to have successfully completed the sixth shipment of waste to Japan. It’s another demonstration of INS and PNTL’s extensive and proven expertise in nuclear material transportation.

“I would like to thank our transport partners and customers for their hard work and co-operation in making this shipment such a success. We know that with meticulous planning and collaboration we can continue to deliver progress in this long-term programme.”

The Vitrified Residue Returns programme is a key component of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA’s) strategy to clean up the Sellafield site, fulfil contracts with overseas customers and deliver UK Government policy.

For more details please contact Sam Wilkinson at INS / PNTL:

Mail: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0)7422 077 936