The BNFL Pacific Pintail breaching the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Federated States of Micronesia.
The shipment of faulty plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) has been
caught by Greenpeace transiting through the Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu waters, a blatant breach of the islands' Exclusive Economic
Zones (EEZ). The ships were found at 12 degrees 19.8 minutes South,
163 degrees 14.2 minutes East on a bearing of 190 degrees
magnetic.
The ships are close to Rennel Island within the Solomon's EEZ
and Torres Island and Espiritu Santo within the Vanuatu EEZ. This
puts the ships on a course to transit through the EEZ of the
Pacific Island of New Caledonia.
"British Nuclear Fuels has ludicrously called Greenpeace
irresponsible for publicising the location of this dangerous
shipment. It is they who are avoiding their responsibility under
international law of informing nations that they are in their
waters, and it was their irresponsibility in falsifying crucial
safety data which is bringing this shipment through the region
twice unnecessarily," said Angenette Heffernan, Greenpeace nuclear
campaigner
The Vanuatu Deputy Prime Minister Serge Vohor has accused Japan
and Britain of disrespecting his country's sovereignty. He is
attending the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Summit in
Nadi.
Each nation has the right to protect the marine environment
within its EEZ from hazardous nuclear shipments under the Law of
the Sea Convention. The shipping states have not fulfilled their
obligations under the international Law of the Sea, which includes
consulting with en route states. Therefore the BNFL ships, the
Pacific Pintail and the Pacific Teal, have jeopardised their right
to "freedom of navigation" within EEZs.
"The ACP meeting is the perfect opportunity for the rest of the
Pacific Governments to follow the example of Vanuatu, the Solomon
Islands, FSM and the Cook Islands, and state their strong
opposition," said Heffernan.
The two British flagged nuclear freighters carrying 255kg of
weapons-usable plutonium breached the EEZ of the Federated States
of Micronesia (FSM) on Saturday July 13, despite the FSM
Government's stated opposition. Greenpeace, using a small aircraft,
found the ships at 08 degrees 10 minutes North, 158 degrees 44
minutes East sailing on a bearing of 157 degrees magnetic.
Greenpeace also believes the Teal and Pintail breached the EEZ
of the Republic of Marshall Islands on Friday July 12. Calculations
based on the path and speed of the ships puts their location at
1500hrs local time at approximately 11 degrees 30 minutes north,
158 degrees 05 minutes east - putting them about 150 miles off
Ujelang Atoll in RMI.
The Nuclear Free Pacific Flotilla yachts, which left in the last
week from Vanuatu, New Zealand and Australia, are closing in on
their destination in the Tasman Sea. They are gathering to protest
against the plutonium ships as they make their passage to the
Southern Ocean. The Flotilla is made up of individual boat owners,
with crews onboard ranging in age from 3 to over 60 years old.