Press release - 15 September, 2002
The Pacific Pintail 200 miles south of Cork (Ireland).
The two armed nuclear freighters, the Pacific Pintail and
Pacific Teal, carrying the now notorious shipment of rejected
plutonium fuel were located earlier today by Greenpeace in the
North Atlantic, 200 miles west of the French port of Brest. The two
vessels were heading north towards the southwest Irish Sea. The
ships have sailed around 17,500 miles since they left Japan in
July, and have under 450 miles before they reach Barrow-in-Furness,
south of Sellafield on Tuesday morning.
The Nuclear Free Irish Sea Flotilla of small boats and its
support vessel, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, are currently
in the south of the Irish Sea after leaving the port of Holyhead
early this morning. A RAF Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft has been
monitoring the progress of the Rainbow Warrior and the rest of the
flotilla during the day. Another part of the flotilla departed
Holyhead for Barrow on Sunday morning.
"The Nuclear Free Irish Sea Flotilla now numbers over twenty
yachts and is growing daily with other yachts on standby. It has
been deployed to different areas of the Irish Sea to ensure the
ships receive the maximum impact of the protest," said Shaun
Burnie, Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaigner, on board the
Rainbow Warrior. "These two international pariah ships will enter
the Irish Sea tomorrow to be confronted with flotilla boats, which
together represent the views of countries around the world which
are saying this trade in nuclear bomb material has to stop before a
disaster happens."