SAFEGUARDS FOR UNIQUE SHIPMENTS OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL

NAC International was chosen as the U.S. Department of Energy's lead transportation contractor for the return of spent nuclear fuel from foreign research reactors in Southeast Asia and Europe. NAC International conducted the transportation of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) during calendar year 1999 by combining the material located in ten different countries into two major material movements. The first shipment consisted of fuel elements transported from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Taiwan, which were subsequently received by the Savannah River Site (SRS). The second shipment included SNF from the countries of Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Romania, Italy, and Portugal terminating at both SRS and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The unique safeguards aspect of these two individual shipments became apparent early in the shipment planning process. The shipment originating in Southeast Asia would require the placement of an armed security team aboard the loaded vessel while under sail in the South China Sea and during all ports-of-call. A portion of the shipment from Eastern Europe would depart Pitesti, Romania and be routed over-land through Hungary, a \"third-party\" country, and exit through the Port of Koper, Slovenia. With these goals in place, NAC began initial steps in the process of developing security-planning documents, coordinating with U.S. and foreign government agencies, and ultimately implementing the U.S. DOE approved security posture to assure the effective protection of the material during movements. The shipment of material from Southeast Asia began in early spring with the first leg of the shipment departing Thailand and subsequently calling on three additional ports before arriving at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station in April 1999. The Eastern European shipment was initiated with the transport of SNF from Pitesti, Romania in late July 1999 that arrived at Charleston on August 19, 1999.