Regulations which re quire ships carrying radioactive materials to notify Irish port authorities and the marine emergency service were introduced yesterday by the Government.
The new regulations will incorporate into law a 1993 EU directive on the transport of radioactive material. They will also apply amendments to international conventions and codes. Vessels which carry radioactive material such as nuclear fuel or plutonium, bound for or leaving a port, will be required to notify the relevant port authority. The regulations also require such ships at anchor outside the immediate jurisdiction to notify the marine emergency service. Meanwhile, vessels carrying radioactive material to and from Sellafield are to be armed with machine guns, because of fears of attacks by Islamic terrorists. The British and French governments have also agreed to warn the Irish authorities whenever their vessels carrying radioactive material are in the Irish Sea.