Consultation to start on nuclear sub dismantling:

Seven disused submarines are stored at Babcock's Rosyth dockyard in Fife

A public consultation on the dismantling of the UK's retired nuclear submarines is set to get under way.

Rosyth in Fife and Devonport in Plymouth are the two preferred sites being considered as locations for removing the radioactive material from the vessels.

The consultation, which gets under way on Friday, will look at how and where this process will be carried out.

It will also consider where the waste should be stored initially.

Babcock's Rosyth dockyard is currently home to seven nuclear submarines, while a further 10 are stored at Devonport.

The storage of submarines at Rosyth currently supports about 100 jobs, though safety concerns are being expressed locally about what will happen to the submarines' nuclear fuel.

Rear Admiral Simon Lister, of the MoD's Defence Equipment and Support organisation, said the cost to the taxpayer of maintaining the submarines was "rising significantly" and space to store them was running out.

"Developing a solution now, rather than leaving future generations to do so, is the responsible course of action," he said.

"There is no reason to believe there will be any increased health risk from submarine dismantling activities.

"Submarine dismantling, like all nuclear work, will be robustly regulated to stringent standards by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the environment agencies."

He added: "We are keen to hear the views of as many people as possible during this public consultation, to help us make the right decisions about how to dispose of our nuclear submarines."

The consultation is due to run for 16 weeks.

It will include a series of local events which will take place in Plymouth, Torpoint, Saltash, Rosyth, Dunfermline and Edinburgh, as well as national events in Birmingham and Glasgow.

Source: BBC. 27 October 2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-15478628

Should N-subs be dismantled in city?

ONE of the most controversial proposals to affect Plymouth in generations is set to be thrust firmly into the public domain from today.

The Ministry of Defence has today begun a 16-week consultation exercise exploring the options for dismantling decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines.

The consultation aims to find a permanent home for The Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) – either in Plymouth, or Scotland.

Peter Luff MP, The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, yesterday released a statement to the House of Commons regarding the SDP.

"Submarines in afloat storage are maintained safely, in a similar way to operational submarines," he said.

"As they age, however, and as further submarines leave service, the cost to the taxpayer of maintaining them is rising significantly, and space to store them is running out.

"This consultation will seek the public's views on the proposals that have been developed by the MoD's Submarine Dismantling Project for dismantling and disposing of the submarines in a safe, secure and environmentally responsible way."

There are currently 27 submarines (of past and current classes from Dreadnought to Vengeance) which could be dismantled.

As it stands Devonport and Rosyth in Scotland are the candidate sites for the project which will see radioactive waste removed from the submarines and taken away.

A series of events, including exhibitions, displays and workshops, will be held in and around Devonport and Rosyth.

National workshops will also be held in accessible locations in England and Scotland to inform people of the proposals.

There are 3 key decisions on which the MoD is seeking the public's views:

• How the radioactive waste is removed;
• Where the radioactive waste is removed; and
• options for storing the waste that cannot be disposed of immediately.

The main activities required to dismantle submarines include:

Initial Dismantling: All radioactive material on the submarine will be removed.

This is mainly metalwork inside the reactor compartment that has become radioactive during use.

Interim Storage: The radioactive waste that cannot be disposed of immediately will be placed into 'interim' storage, until a disposal solution is available sometime after 2040.

Ship-recycling: Once the radioactive material has been removed, the submarine hull will be broken up and recycled in a similar way to Royal Navy surface ships.

Any other hazardous waste will be disposed of through existing permitted disposal routes.

All the responses received during the consultation process will be considered by the MoD during its further analysis of the options.

A final decision will then be made and planning applications for the specific site will be submitted.

An announcement is expected to be made in 2013.

The consultation period will run from today until February 17 next year.

This period has been extended from the 12-week minimum to account for the Christmas holidays and in recognition of the interest in the project.

Last night the Ministry of Defence said it could not provide details of where and when exactly the consultation events would be staged in the Plymouth area.

Further details of the events were today expected to be announced by the MoD.

Full details of the Submarine Dismantling Project are available on the website: www.mod.uk/submarinedismantling.

Event details are expected to be listed in full on this website.

YES: Peter Smith, Chairman of the industrial trade unions at Devonport Dockyard.

DEVONPORT is already a centre of excellence for submarine refits and we have one of the most highly trained work forces in this field anywhere in the world.

Ensuring that this expertise is retained in the Plymouth region is vital to both the wider economy and also more directly to the individuals concerned.

Not only is there an existing workforce of 4,000 employed by the submarine programme, but future apprentices depend on high quality engineering projects such as this to learn their trade and ensure a future career.

At a time when unemployment in Plymouth is at a 13-year high, the jobs provided by this project cannot be overlooked.

The nuclear industry is one of the most highly regulated in the world, and Devonport leads the way in many areas.

All work is carried out in a thoroughly controlled manner and closely monitored by the trade unions, to ensure neither workers or the local residents are exposed to any hazards.

The work involved in dismantling submarines is less hazardous than the routine work currently undertaken at the Dockyard.

The key is in the word “dismantling” – this is highly controlled engineering work, not some rough and ready, large scale ship breaking process.

There appears to be a concern that this work carries some form of risk which could affect Plymouth but in reality, this simply isn’t true.

All fuel is removed from the boats before any dismantling work commences leaving a series of very stable and “ordinary” components to be dismantled. In fact, the average operator involved in submarine dismantling will receive a radiation dose over the lifetime of the project only equivalent to one tenth of the average natural background dose that all of us receive in the South West of England every year.

The submarines are stored at Devonport already, so why wouldn’t we want to do this work that will provide valuable employment, and is less hazardous than our current work?

This project will actually reduce risk and not increase it. The submarines, and any waste generated through their dismantling, will ultimately be disposed of off site, therefore, removing the disused boats from Plymouth forever.

NO: Jeremy Guise, Chairman, City of Plymouth Unison.

SOMETIMES on a Monday morning, an eerie sound can be heard wailing across Plymouth as the alarms are tested at Devonport.

It provides both reassurance that safety procedures are in place – and a disconcerting reminder of the accident hazards behind the dockyard wall.

The proposed Submarine Dismantling Project represents a significant intensification of the hazard posed by the nuclear dockyard.

Whatever rigorous safety procedures are in place, no human activity is completely risk-free.

It is the magnitude of the consequences of a nuclear accident that make it unacceptable to locate such a facility in the middle of a city of 250,000 people.

Although nothing on the scale of Chernobyl or Fukushima, Devonport is not immune from accidents. There have been nine radioactive leaks since 1997.

The impact of a significant accident in the dockyard would be devastating.

It would not remain confined behind its walls but would affect a much wider area.

Within a few hundred metres of the dockyard wall there is a primary school and established residential communities.

Why then has Plymouth been chosen, as one of just two potential sites, to be worldwide guinea pigs for an unproven, and potentially dangerous technique, of removing the section of hull containing the reactor core of obsolete nuclear powered submarines and cutting it up into small pieces for selling as recyclable metal?

I believe it is primarily motivated by the large profits that Babcock and the other contractors hope to earn from this process.

In return for a few specialist jobs, Plymouth would become known as the ‘Sellafield of the South West’, a poor, blighted city that the rest of the world hurries through on its way to Cornwall.

There is an alternative.

We could, like the Americans, store the hull sections containing the nuclear reactors away from settlements and regenerate the dockyard to provide thousands of new marine engineering jobs making wave and wind power machines.

Public consultation on the submarine disposal has started.

This is the most important decision the city has faced in years. I hope all those who care for the future of this city raise their voices in opposition to this proposal.

Source: The Plymouth Herald. 28 October 2011

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/N-subs-dismantled-city/story-13686266-detail/story.html

Scrapped submarine catches fire at drydock:

SUB FIRE Firefighters on the scene of a blaze at a Lowbanks scrapyard, where a decommissioned Canadian submarine caught fire Wednesday.

PORT MAITLAND Haldimand firefighters spent Wednesday afternoon battling a major, unusual blaze aboard a decommissioned Canadian Navy submarine.

The submarine HMCS Olympus is one of two towed to the Feeder Canal Road East yard near Lowbanks for scrapping this past summer at Port Maitland, about one hour south of Hamilton.

The fire started around noon inside the submarine, where workers were stripping down parts, said Haldimand OPP Constable Mark Foster.

Nobody was injured. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Labour were advised. The MOE had staff on site making sure nothing was leaking.

Haldimand Fire Chief Rob Grimwood said the workers were using a grinder when something let off a spark.

“I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure what caused it,” he said.

The vessel was empty. But the submarine walls and cargo were lined with teak wood and what Grimwood described as cork board. This cork board product went up in smoke, literally.

Firefighters from six different Haldimand fire stations spent the afternoon fighting the smoky blaze with 12 fire trucks.

HMCS Olympus and HMCS Okanagan, two Oberon class 1,250-tonne subs Canada bought from Britain’s Royal Navy between 1965 and 1968, were towed to the yard over the summer and are being recycled by Marine Recycling Corp. at the company’s shipyard.

Although the subs’ names have been stripped off, Olympus is identifiable by a large radar dome near her bow Okanagan does not have.

The pair, two of Canada’s four retired submarines, were welded to a special barge and then ‘dry towed’ to Hamilton on their way to the “shipbreaking” yard on Lake Erie in August.

The subs’ 10-day journey from Halifax to Hamilton and on to Port Maitland was overseen by Hamilton’s McKeil Marine and Heddle Marine Service Inc.

The diesel-electric submarines were built in Britain and used by Canada’s navy for 30 years. At the time they were built, the boats were the latest technology, according to the Canadian Naval Centennial Internet site. They were upgraded between 1979 and 1981, but by the late 1990s were retired.

Source: The Spec.com. By John Burman, and Nicole O’Reilly. 13 October 2011

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/608073--scrapped-sub-catches-fire-at-drydock

Fifers promised voice over dismantling of nuclear subs:

Rosyth will have its say on the government's plans to dismantle the country's fleet of nuclear submarines.

The Ministry of Defence will launch a major public consultation exercise this month, before making any decisions.

The news prompted North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell to say: ''This is the right decision but the public will want to be assured that this is a genuine consultation.''

The Westminster government has already announced that Rosyth or Devonport—or a combination of the 2 yards—are the candidate sites for where radioactive waste is to be removed from the submarines.

And Peter Luff, the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, has pledged in a letter to politicians that there would be an emphasis placed on consultation with the communities surrounding the 2 bases.

''Although we will be carrying out national consultation, there will be a particular focus on consultation in the Devonport and Rosyth areas, and in areas adjacent to them,'' he said.

There are 7 decommissioned subs at Rosyth. The Ministry of Defence starting laying them up afloat at the Fife yard over 25 years ago and their storage in Fife has proved highly controversial over the decades.

The issue of what to do with the rusting hulks has led to widespread fears Rosyth could be turned into a ''nuclear graveyard''— not only for vessels currently stored there, but for those 11 stored at Devonport and others still in service once they come to the end of their active life.

The MoD is undertaking the Submarine Dismantling Project to develop the solution for disposing of 27 of the UK's nuclear submarines after they have left the Royal Navy's service.

The project, to extend over a 60-year period, encompasses the provision of facilities to dismantle the 27 defuelled submarines and store the resulting intermediate-level radioactive waste until a least 2040. At this point it is intended it will be transferred to the UK's planned geological disposal facility.

Mr. Luff said the MoD was ''committed'' to carrying out public consultation ''before any major decisions are made.''

This 16-week process will begin on Friday, October 28 and will be based around 3 key decisions.

• The first will look at how the radioactive material is to be removed from the submarines.
• The second is where the radioactive waste will be removed and
• The last will be to discuss the options for storing the waste, specifically intermediate-level radioactive waste, which cannot be disposed of immediately.

''It is our intention to make proposals around these 3 decisions, based on our detailed options analysis, and offer the public he opportunity to comment on both our analysis and the conclusions we have reached.

''They will also be given the opportunity to comment on the findings of the strategic environmental assessment we have carried out and on the project more generally,'' the minister said.

Source: The Courier. 11 October 2011

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/17889/fifers-promised-voice-over-dismantling-of-nuclear-subs.html

Opposition to Rosyth 'submarine graveyard':

Rosyth Community Council has expressed opposition to nuclear submarines being sited at the town's dockyards and wants them removed.

The Ministry of Defence has still to announce whether more will join the seven decommissioned vessels, but it is understood that the choice is west Fife or Devonport, Plymouth.

There has been anxiety from councillors and the community about the submarines, with fears raised concerning possible leaks.

The community council has added its opposition to them being stationed at the dockyards, describing them as a "subs' graveyard."

Chairman Mike Shirkie said, "We are against the subs being located here but there is no decision yet regarding the waste from them until a disposal route has been agreed.

"As far as we know there is no further action until that has been looked at. I understand, although this has not been confirmed, that a campaign has started down in Devonport as they don't want the extra subs.

"We have seven submarines here at Rosyth and there are 11 down in Devonport, so we do not wish any more here."

Mr Shirkie said, "There are many politicians that do not want the subs and we don't want them either. It should not be treated as political. I believe it's apolitical.

"It does not benefit the local community having the subs here but we need to get heads together on this to sort it out."

An MoD spokesman said that no decision had been made on the future of the nuclear submarines.

He said, "The submarine dismantling project is currently in the assessment phase during which it is seeking to identify and develop the recommended options to satisfy its requirements.

"These options involve the site for initial dismantling, the technical approach to be adopted and the solution for storage of intermediate-level radioactive waste until a suitable disposal facility is available.

"We will work with industry to satisfy the requirements of the aims of the project.

"To do this, we are undertaking relevant technical, environmental and value-for-money studies that will form the basis of a public consultation and subsequent decisions. No major decisions will be taken until we have completed public consultation."

The spokesman added, "The environmental work we are carrying out is known as a strategic environmental assessment (SEA).

"SEA is a formal and legally-defined process that assesses any potentially significant environmental, health, or socioeconomic effects of the SDP options, and their wider implications for sustainable development.

"This assessment, and the resulting environmental report, will be presented as a key element of the public consultation."

Source: The Courier. By Paul Reoch. 25 April 2011

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/13263/opposition-to-rosyth-submarine-graveyard.html

No nuclear leak threat at Rosyth, says MoD:

By The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has strenuously denied that there have been any leaks from the seven decommissioned submarines based at Rosyth and says that no threat is posed to the area from intermediate level radioactive waste (ILW).

Part of the dockyard at Rosyth

It has been claimed by SNP councillors Bill Walker and Ian Chisholm that radioactive waste may be completely removed from the west Fife site by 2015.

There are 7 decommissioned subs at Rosyth, including the Polaris vessels Revenge, Resolution, Renown and Repulse.

All of the subs have had their highly toxic fuel removed, but parts of the vessels, including the reactor compartments, are still contaminated.

The Courier previously revealed that 2 of the subs sprang leaks in their outer hulls, but these were later plugged.

It's believed that it costs the MoD around £1 million to store the vessels at Rosyth.

The MoD states that no decision has been made about where ILW arising from dismantled submarines will be stored and that it is still "considering" sites that are potential candidates for the initial stages of submarine dismantling, for which Rosyth has been identified as a potential location.

The MoD also denied that the ILW poses any threat to Rosyth and its surrounding area.

A spokesman said, "There are well-established methods for storing ILW in a safe and secure manner.

"As for all nuclear-related activities that the MoD undertakes, the management of ILW would be strictly regulated by the defence nuclear safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and either the Environment Agency (EA) or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)."

He continued, "There have been no nuclear or radiological incidents related to the nuclear submarines stored afloat at either Rosyth or Plymouth.

"Furthermore, the EA and SEPA set strict limits for radioactive discharges from all nuclear-related activities at the sites, and we consistently operate significantly below those limits."

The spokesman said that potential candidate sites for the storage of radioactive waste have not been identified at this stage.

This was due to the developing nature of the national strategy.

"The secretary of state for defence has confirmed in parliament that submarine dismantling activities will not be undertaken before an ILW storage solution has been established," he added.

"Whichever site is selected for interim ILW storage, it will be strictly controlled in accordance with the relevant safety legislation and regulations.

"Rosyth has existing facilities and processes for the storage and management of ILW, which meet all the requirements currently placed on them.

"As the MoD has not yet conducted site-specific assessment of interim ILW storage sites, it is too early to say whether these would be suitable for storing ILW from submarine dismantling," the spokesman concluded.

Source: The Courier. By Paul Reoch. 18 April 2011

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/13024/no-nuclear-leak-threat-at-rosyth-says-mod.html

SNP group believes submarines at Rosyth create ever-present radioactive risk:

Part of the dockyard at Rosyth 

Three west Fife SNP politicians have demanded that all nuclear waste be removed from Rosyth as part of the submarine dismantling project (SDP).

Councillors Douglas Chapman, Ian Chisholm and Bill Walker all believe there are ongoing problems caused by the seven decommissioned nuclear submarines at Rosyth.

The project has looked into the possibility of dismantling around 27 subs at the west Fife base and Devonport in Plymouth.

Rosyth has a licensed store on its site. Fears have been raised that low-level radioactive materials may continue to be stored on site at Rosyth if dismantled subs continue to be kept there.

It is believed the contract to dismantle the decommissioned subs may safeguard jobs at the Fife dockyard, but it has also sparked environmental concerns.

The Courier previously revealed that two of the vessels sprang leaks in their outer hulls. The leaks were subsequently plugged. It has been estimated that it costs the Ministry of Defence (MoD) around £1m to store the submarines at Rosyth.

Babcock Support Services Ltd runs the privatised former royal dockyard in Fife and has seven decommissioned subs at the site, including the Polaris vessels Revenge, Resolution, Renown and Repulse.

All of the subs have had their highly toxic fuel removed but parts of the vessels, including the reactor compartments, are still contaminated.

Mr Chapman, who is one of the representatives for the Rosyth ward, said he has concerns that more submarines could be destined for Rosyth.

Magnet for submarines

He said, "The real danger for Rosyth is that, following the break-up of one or two submarines, not only is the intermediate nuclear waste being kept here but then Rosyth becomes a magnet for the 11 submarines at Devonport and then becomes an international nuclear breakers yard for old subs worldwide,"

"Babcock have said that if the seven hulks are removed from the dockyard basin then that might open up new commercial opportunities here. That's more of a positive vision for Rosyth and that's the vision we support."

Mr Chisholm said the three SNP politicians will be meeting the Ministry of Defence on March 11 to try to resolve the issue.

He said, "We will listen to their reasons why nuclear waste should remain in Rosyth. The huge issue, however, is if we start breaking up old submarines at Rosyth, then how much new nuclear waste will be stored at Rosyth?

"We believe this is a backward step for Rosyth, as Babcock are trying to decommission the nuclear storage facility and remove nuclear work from the dockyard.

"We fully support Babcock Plc in the way that they are moving the dockyard from being reliant on defence-related work and into diverse commercial activity.

"The way that they propose to use the redundant Trident refit RD 57 'hole in the ground' to create a container port should be welcomed and, for Rosyth, that's the way forward."

Mr Walker added, "There is no doubt in my mind that since Devonport got the Trident refit work in 1993, then they should also take the responsibility for the rest of the submarine fleet."

A spokesman for the Royal Navy said they could not comment on the matter as nothing had been decided on the future of the decommissioned subs at Rosyth.

Source: The Courier. By Paul Reoch. 3 March 2011

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/11430/snp-group-believes-submarines-at-rosyth-create-ever-present-radioactive-risk.html