Ship carrying nuclear waste arrives in Australia
Sydney (AFP) - A ship carrying 25 tonnes of radioactive waste arrived back in Australia on Saturday, met by activists who warned against the vast nation becoming a nuclear dumping ground.
About a dozen Greenpeace protesters, some carrying signs such as "Don't waste Australia", stood near the entrance to Port Kembla south of Sydney as the BBC Shanghai arrived in a well-policed operation.
Environmentalists have raised concerns about the safety of the ship, which left the northern French port of Cherbourg in October, with one French lawmaker describing it as a "dustbin ship".
But the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), which has previously stressed that the ship's seaworthiness had been certified by French officials, said there was no credible chance of an incident during the transport.
Australia sent spent nuclear fuel to France for reprocessing in the 1990s and early 2000s over four shipments, and it has now been returned for long-term storage.
Reprocessing involves the removal of uranium and plutonium, stabilising the remaining substances in glass, and placing it all in a container suitable for transport and storage.
The government has said the nuclear waste dump site would only be used to store Australia's radioactive waste but Greenpeace has warned that creating a new waste facility is an invitation to other countries to use Australia as a dumping ground.
Six sites, all hundreds of kilometres from major cities and including some Outback locations, have been shortlisted for Australia's first nuclear waste dump.
На какой язык? ^_^