Greenpeace threats force Areva to divert ship
AP | 29.10.2009/18/24 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
The French group Areva diverted Thursday to Cherbourg the Russian ship which was to load nuclear fuel in Le Havre because Greenpeace had dispatched one of its boats to this port, we learned Thursday from the environmental organization. The Russian ship "Kapitan Mironov" arrived in Cherbourg (Manche) in the middle of the afternoon.
Originally, he was expected around 10am in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), where he was to take a shipment of nuclear material destined for Russia, according to Greenpeace. But he was diverted two hours before arriving in the Seine bay.
On Wednesday, Greenpeace dispatched its "Arctic Sunrise" icebreaker to Le Havre. "If Areva has changed its plans in this way, it is because the company has something to hide and does not wish to have witnesses to its trafficking in nuclear materials," said Yannick Rousselet, spokesperson for the environmental organization.
The Greenpeace ship will stay in Le Havre because Greenpeace is expecting another Russian ship there on Friday evening, the "Kapitan Lus", also used to transporting nuclear materials.
The environmental organization calls for an immediate moratorium on this transport of radioactive materials. "It is intolerable that the nuclear manufacturers EDF and Areva continue their trafficking with impunity, while political leaders have recognized that these companies carry out their dangerous activities without transparency," considers Yannick Rousselet. AP
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