June 21, 2010
source: www.heraldsun.com.au
NEW Zealand politicians say they are looking for ways to update anti-nuclear legislation in a bid to block uranium shipments from South Australia passing through New Zealand ports.
The U308 uranium ore, known as yellowcake, should not be passing through New Zealand's nuclear-free seas, let alone coming into port, Green Party oceans spokesman Gareth Hughes said.
"I am deeply concerned with the decision to routinely ship uranium ore concentrate through New Zealand ports en route to the United States," he said.
Trans-shipment of nuclear ore appeared to contravene the principles of the Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987, which bans nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered ships from New Zealand waters.
"The Green Party is investigating legislation to update the Act so that the principles are upheld with a ban on uranium shipping through New Zealand," Hughes said.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) last month year approved shipping of the concentrate ore mineral through the ports of Auckland, Nelson, Napier and Tauranga en route to France, via Colombia.
It is being shipped by BHP Billiton, which owns the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.
ERMA can decline such trans-shipments if it believes the hazardous substance cannot be adequately contained, but said the shipment of containers loaded with 48 steel drums of 98-99 per cent pure U308 could be cleaned up if it spilled.
"The radioactive properties of uranium ore concentrate make it both easy to detect and therefore to clean up," ERMA said.
The containers will have to remain on the ship, sealed and below decks while in transit, with each port required to have a contingency plan to deal with emergencies.
But Mr Hughes said the shipments undermined New Zealand's "proud nuclear-free history and the blood sweat and tears of activists in the 1980s who fought to entrench our nuclear-free status".
ERMA earlier this year approved an application by Energy Resources of Australia to also routinely ship similar uranium ore concentrate from Adelaide on Hapag Lloyd or Hamburg Sud ships through the ports of Nelson, Napier and Tauranga en route to Philadelphia.
