IAEA activities related to sea transport

The International Atomic Energy Agency sponsors Co-ordinated Research Programmes in the safe transport of radioactive material. One of these programmes is 'Accident Severity at Sea During the Transport of Radioactive Material'. Several events occurred in the early 1990s that spotlighted the transport of radioactive material by sea. Some of the concerns expressed by Member States and non-governmental organisations in IMO included concern that accidents on board ships may be more severe than the IAEA regulatory tests account for, and that package failure with subsequent release of radioactive material may occur. The IAEA established a Co-ordinated Research Programme to develop further information on accident severities at sea during the transport of radioactive material. The primary object of this programme is to collect and evaluate statistical data of marine accidents and perform analyses related to package performance in severe accidents. This paper discusses the activities of the five IAEA Member States participating in this programme, the relationship of their activities to other participants, the programme's relationship to the IAEA continuing regulatory revision process and interfaces with the International Maritime Organization. (author)