Britain: Concern over plutonium shipment

Some issues raised over a plan to transport plutonium dioxide to France from England raised here:

Weapons-ready plutonium that terrorists could easily make into a nuclear bomb is to be carried hundreds of miles down the west coast of Britain in an unarmed ship, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

Experts say that the plutonium dioxide powder, shortly to be taken to France from the Sellafield nuclear complex for the first time, would be an ideal material for creating a nuclear explosion and for use in a dirty bomb. One calls it "the worst possible material" to ship.

Yet the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Sellafield, is to take it on an old roll-on roll-off ferry with few security and safety features – even though it has used armed and better-equipped vessels to transport less dangerous nuclear materials in the past.

There will be armed guards on the ferry, and I assume there just might be armed escort vessels.

And probably air cover.

And tugs standing by.

I suggest the reporter attempt to interdict the shipment to test security...and if he lives, do a follow up piece.