ML19256F709
| ML19256F709 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/26/1979 |
| From: | Brach E, Mccormick R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNS-79-006, PNS-79-6, NUDOCS 7912200271 | |
| Download: ML19256F709 (1) | |
Text
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PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION January 26, 1979 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF SAFEGUARDS EVENT--
PNS-79-06 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE national security or public interest sianificance.
The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff as of this date.
Licensee: General Atomic ' Company San Diego, California Export License No. XSNM-885
Subject:
EXPORT SHIPMENT OF HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM TO ROMANIA On December 16, 1978, General A' 'ic shipped four drums containing 4.5 kilograms of highly enricheo.anium to Romania.
This shipment was inspected by a NRC Region V (S.P.) inspector at the licensee's site in California and each drum was sealed with U. S. Government seals.
Upon examination of the seals at Kennedy Airport (port of Debarkation) on December 16, 1978, all four seals were found to be broken.
The NRC Region I (Philadelphia) inspector examining the drums and seals decided that the contents of the drums had not been disturbed.
Consequently, he resealed the containers - without inspecting the contents - and permitted export of the shipment.
When the containers arrived in Romania, the seals affixed at Kennedy Airport were reported to be intact.
On January 26, 1979 State Department advised NRC that seal No. 1514 which was on drum I-118 and removed by IAEA had been previously identified to the IAEA as seal Number 1574.
A check of NRC records for the seal application verified that seal No.1514 was correct.
The seal number transmitted by NRC to State was in error.
Additionally, NRC was notified that the wire was no longer intact within seal No.1519 and that somehow the wire apparently became detached from inside the seal button.
IE examined seal 1519 and determined that the wire had broken inside the seal button.
The IAEA had pre /iously advised that their inspection of the drums and their contents on January 5,1979 did confirm that the nuclear material contents were as shipped from General Atomic Company.
Contact:
EWBrach, IE x28080 RGMcCormick, IE x28080 Distribution:
Transmitted H St I '..[
Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Bradford S. J. Chil k, SECY Commissioner Kennedy Commissioner Ahearne C. C. Kammerer, CA Commissioner Gilinsky (For Distribution)
Transmitted: MNBB C c
P. Bldg
, 'A J. G. Davis, IE L. V. Gossick, ED0 H. R. Denton, NRR Region 7
_. di H. L. Ornstein, EDO R. C. DeYoung, NRR J. J. Fouchard, PA R. J. Mattson, NRR N. M. Haller, MPA V. Stello, NRR (MAIL)
R. G. Ryan, OSP R. S. Boyd, NRR J. J. Cummings, OIA H. K. Shapar, ELD SS Bldg
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R. Minogue, SD W. J. Dircks, NMSS PRELIMINARY MOTIFICATI0a 1663 012 7912200 2 7/