Planning & Executing an International Transport of Category I Nuclear Materials – The UK Delivering Specialist Nuclear Services with Pride

Regarded as the world leader in the maritime transport of specialist nuclear materials (SNM), International Nuclear Services (INS), together with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's Strategic Escort Group (CNC), have worked closely with the British Government and the UK's independent competent authority, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, to successfully plan and execute a number of Category I transports of SNM by sea in support of commitments made at the Nuclear Security Summit. Each of the above organisations have played an important role and contributed to successfully plan, permission and execute these shipments; ensuring each transport is completed with effective yet proportionate security arrangements that are in line with both domestic UK regulations and international obligations. This paper will describe the work that each organisation undertook to complete these specialist transports, to help support global threat reduction, and reveal some of the challenges encountered in delivering these highly sensitive shipments to make the world a safer and more secure place. In doing so, the paper will explain how the UK is committed to helping States deliver their commitments made at the Nuclear Security Summit and how it supports wider global threat reductions initiatives. It will discuss the intergovernmental relationships established and the subsequent agreements made in line with the Convention for the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) to allow for these shipments to proceed, and describe how information and communications strategies concerning these international transports are agreed between Governments to ensure the right balance between transparency and security is struck. It will describe, at a high level, how INS and their partners at the CNC prepare for each shipment and give an insight into how INS, as a world leader in the transport of SNM, delivers these unique transports in accordance with UK regulations and international recommendations developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The paper will also cover the specialist emergency response and resilience arrangements that INS and CNC put in place to ensure these shipments are delivered to highest safety and security standards for its customers, stakeholders and the public. In summary, it is hoped this paper will serve to further improve awareness around the measures and challenges faced when planning and executing an international transport of Category I SNM and help share UK experience with its international partners. (author)