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