Greenpeace has said it is not happy with the Government's approach to the imminent shipment of spent nuclear fuel through the Irish Sea, following a meeting with Irish Coast Guard officials yesterday.
However, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources says it has the ability to monitor the shipments by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) and to intervene if necessary. It also says it will be liaising with the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on a preparedness response plan.
Greenpeace sought the meeting with the Department after the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern, visited its ship, the Rainbow Warrior in Dublin on Tuesday.
The Minister, who represents the Louth constituency where Sellafield is a very live issue, said he was vehemently opposed to the very existence of the nuclear complex which was turning the Irish Sea into a "nuclear fuel highway".
Mr Ahern said the Government was currently taking action against this type of shipment on a number of fronts.
However, he made it clear that the two ships, the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, had a right of "innocent passage" up the Irish Sea, once they remained outside the State's 12-mile territorial limit. He also said he did not want to compromise the legal case which Ireland is taking over Sellafield at international level.
Greenpeace says it is not happy with this approach and has repeated its request for the deployment of the Naval Service in the Irish Sea to monitor the shipment next month.
"It doesn't even have to be a Naval Service ship, once the Government sends an approved vessel, and we don't see this as an aggressive act," Mr John Bowler of Greenpeace said yesterday. "And given that BNFL has a record of lying consistently, why should we assume that these ships are going to stay outside Ireland's 12-mile limit?" he added.
The Government should at least insist that the ships stay beyond the median line dividing Ireland's exclusive economic zone from Britain's in the Irish Sea, Mr Bowler said. "It is very important to highlight the hazardous nature of this shipment, because if the Irish Government does not protest, then BNFL will use this to try and ensure renewal of the Japanese MOX contract, and these shipments will continue."
The Defence Forces confirmed yesterday that they have not been asked by the Government to participate in any planning in advance of the shipment and have denied that the Naval Service sought any specific direction on the issue several weeks ago.
"If our assistance is requested, it will be acceded to, and we will be in a position to respond very quickly," a Defence Forces spokesman said.
Greenpeace says it has assured the Coast Guard that it will not be attempting to stop the shipment. It is planning a peaceful protest as the ships steam up the Irish Sea between September 12th and 16th.