Calls for emergency tug after nuclear waste ship fire 9/10/14
► Fears over nuclear waste ships in Minch
Renewed calls to base an emergency tug in the Minch are being made following a ship carrying nuclear waste was left drifting helplessly at sea.
A fire onboard the Danish-
The threat of the disabled ship -
Similar vessels could be used to transport spent nuclear fuel from the Dounreay power station through Western Isles waters to the Sellafield reprocessing facility under a proposal being considered by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Comhairle leader Angus Campbell said the MV Parida emergency “raises serious concerns.”
He said it illustrates the type of situation which can arise which needed the immediate availability for a rescue tug.
Mr Campbell added: “A ship in similar circumstances on the west coast would be reliant
on the Orkney-
Mr Campbell highlighted any nuclear waste polluting the waters off the Western Isles would be “disastrous for commercial maritime operations and our very special environment.”
He added: “I welcome the investigation which will now take place and would call on the Scottish Government, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the UK Government and key partners to come up with a plan of mitigation to reduce the risks around Scottish coastal waters and specifically the waters off the West coast of Scotland.”
The Stornoway coastguard tug was removed for good in March 2012 due to UK government
cutbacks -
► Fears over nuclear waste ships in Minch