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Argentina says nuclear ship won't enter its waters
Argentina says nuclear ship won't enter its waters
BUENOS AIRES, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Argentine government sought on
Tuesday to ease concerns about the possibility of a toxic spill by a
British ship carrying nuclear waste around treacherous Cape Horn,
saying the vessel Pacific Swan would not enter its territorial
waters.
"The information given to us about the boat's planned route indicates
it will pass around Cape Horn and it is not expected to enter
Argentina's territorial waters," the Foreign Ministry said,
responding to protests by local environmental groups.
The statement came as Argentine navy planes spotted the Pacific Swan
midway down Argentina's south Atlantic coast on the edge of its
territorial waters.
Plans to transport the highly radioactive 80-ton cargo of French-
processed, spent nuclear fuel around Cape Horn -- one of the world's
most treacherous stretches of water -- has alarmed Brazil, Uruguay,
Argentina and Chile, whose coastlines are on the planned route.
The Pacific Swan, which is owned by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), set
sail from Cherbourg, France, on Dec. 19 with a cargo of Japanese
nuclear reactor waste mixed with glass. The vessel is due to dock in
Aomori in northern Japan in February.
The environmental group Greenpeace fears the passage around South
America's southern tip could become the preferred route for
transporting nuclear waste between Europe and Japan, replacing the
traditional, shorter route through the Panama Canal.
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Sandy Perle Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
Director, Technical Extension 2306
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service Fax:(714) 668-3149
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
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Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
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