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Plutonium on the horizon, planet on the line

HMS Nottingham, one of the British Navy's most advanced destroyers ran aground off the east coast of Australia. Enlarge Image

Possible plutonium security escort HMS Nottingham runs aground in rough weather off the coast of Australia.

Shortly after a flotilla of small boats set out to protest a shipment of weapons-usable plutonium through the Tasman sea, a possible security escort, the HMS Nottingham, ran aground off the east coast of Australia.

The BNFL Pacific Pintail breaching the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Federated States of Micronesia. Enlarge Image

Nuclear transports endanger Pacific States

Currently a highly dangerous nuclear cargo is being transported across the Pacific en route from Japan to the UK. The two armed ships carrying enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs have completely disregarded several requests from Pacific Governments to remain outside their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

Greenpeace and Nuclear Free Seas Flotilla between Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands in the Tasman Sea wait for the two armed nuclear freighters The Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal to deliver their protest message. Enlarge Image

Flotilla stops nuclear shipment in its tracks

For almost a week eleven small yachts have been heading across the Pacific to demonstrate the huge public opposition to the shipment of highly dangerous nuclear cargo that is being transported across the Pacific en route from Japan to the UK. Now they are in position on the route of the shipment. But the two armed nuclear freighters seem reluctant to face the full glare of publicity.

Ian Cohen,MLC N.S.W Parliment, the Greens ,and crew member of the African Queen,one of the Pacific Peace Fleet Flotilla,Stuart Lennox, seen here in the water near the Pacific Teal, one of the two ships bringing plutonium through the Tasman. Enlarge Image

Protest flotilla success: plutonium ship intercepted

The plutonium transport ships are large, fast and bristling with guns and security personnel. But they balked at the prospect of passing a tiny flotilla of sailboats armed only with cameras, because it posed one unbearable risk: exposing a deadly and foolhardy mission to the full glare of public scrutiny.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu blessed the Esperanza and the crew and then joined them in wishing for a clean, peaceful and nuclear free world. Enlarge Image

Archbishop Tutu blesses the Esperanza

Archbishop Desmond Tutu joined the call for a clean, nuclear free future from the deck of the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza today as the ship and crew continued their work in the run up to the Earth Summit next week.The Noble Peace Prize winner told the crew "Thank you for your work for peace and for a nuclear free world, it is wonderful and we thank you."

Greenpeace and community organisations in Suva, Fiji demonstrate the Pacific people's opposition to plutonium shipments through the Pacific. Enlarge Image

Japanese nuclear safety scandal

Japan's largest nuclear utility has announced that there has been a safety cover-up for decades at its nuclear power plants. This is a devastating blow to an already embattled nuclear industry with global implications.

The nuclear free Irish sea flotilla, (made up of yachts and vessels from England , Wales and Ireland), supported by the Greenpeace ship SV Rainbow Warrior. Enlarge Image

Nowhere to run to....nowhere to hide

Two British freighters with their cargo of weapons-usable plutonium, are now in the home straight of an 18,000 mile transport of terror. As the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal near the Irish Sea on their journey from Japan to Barrow on England's north west coast, the full glare of the public spotlight is being prepared for their arrival.

The Nuclear Free Irish Sea Flotilla peacefully protesting against BNFL shipment of plutonium. Enlarge Image

Protest flotilla catches up with nuclear nomad ships

The Nuclear Free Irish Sea flotilla has caught up with BNFL's deadly cargo of weapons-usable plutonium in the Irish Sea. The dangerous and unnecessary cargo has been wandering the world's oceans for the past 75 days placing millions of lives and the marine environment at terrible risk.

Fishermen in front of the Mihama nuclear plant after the 1991 accident at the plant. Now a second accident has claimed the lives of at least four workers. Alternative energy sources like wind and solar would have avoided this pollution and death. Enlarge Image

Accident at Japan nuclear plant

A fatal accident has killed at least four people at the Mihama nuclear power plant in Japan. There was no leak of radioactivity but it is the deadliest accident in a catalogue of nuclear scandals in Japan.

Greenpeace activists spend the night waiting for the imminent arrival of two BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels) ships, which are carrying 140kg of radioactive weapons-grade plutonium. The Pacific Pintail and the Pacific Teal left the U.S. port of Charleston, SC on September 20th. Greenpeace believes the shipment conducted by the US and France is unnecessarily threatening international security and putting the environment at risk. Enlarge Image

Nuclear shipment crosses Atlantic

LATEST UPDATES: www.stop-plutonium.org
Thanks to the Bush Administration's disregard for global concerns about nuclear proliferation, two ships carrying some 140kg of weapons-grade plutonium are en route from Charleston, South Carolina, to Cherbourg in France. The two lightly armed UK-flagged commercial nuclear ships are now somewhere off the coast of France, waiting until a possible injunction is served against Greenpeace, to dock.

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Latest Update

Latest update: Catch up with the MV Esperanza and the crew to find out what is happening on the high seas as they track the plutonium ships.