ML19290D639
| ML19290D639 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001426 |
| Issue date: | 08/29/1979 |
| From: | Mangusi J TRANSNUCLEAR, INC. |
| To: | Mccorkle G NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| 13951, NUDOCS 8002220442 | |
| Download: ML19290D639 (11) | |
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Dear Mr. McCorkle:
This letter is subnitted in response to your recuest of July 23, 1979 for an analysis of alternatives of p r: 3 to be used for imports of spent test reactor fuel from Europe. We considered the East Coast ports of Morehead City and Wilmington, North Carolina and Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina.
Letters were sent to nine steamship companies which serve these ports and to the appropriate port authorities and mayors. Sample copies of these letters are enclosed.
Meetings were requested with the ccgnizant personnel of Morehead City, North Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; and North Charleston, South Carolina.
Charleston, South Carolina has an ordinance in effect which prohibits the transport of this material through the city limits; accordingly, no further action with respect to this port was taken.
Prior to our meeting with the North Carolina authorities regarding Morehead City and Wilmington, we were informed by the Executive Director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority that a letter was forth-coming from him at the direction of the Secretary of Commerce and with the knowledge of the Governor that spent fuel shipments would not be permitted through North Carolina ports.
Accordingly, no meeting was held with the North Carolina authorities.
We visited the Mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina and the Executive Director of the South Carolina Ports Authority.
The Ports Authority voiced no objection to the receipt of the shipments and stated that they possessed the capabili;:ies and equipment to handle the freight.
The mayor asked that we keep him informed of our intentions and if we ultimately chose to transit that port, further consideration would be given.
The Mayor stated that he could not speak for the City Council on whether our shipments would be permitted. However, the Mayor and the Executive Director advised that the Charleston County Council has formally requested NRC to include Charleston County in the list of urban metro-politan areas specifically to be avoided by such hipments.
In this CNE NORTH BRCA0WAY
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.. connection, we were also advised that the Charleston County Council had discussed passage of an ordinance similar to the enbargo ordinance enacted by the Charleston City Council.
Pertinent correspondence to the above is enclosed.
We have received only one written response from the steamship lines contacted. No rton, Lilly and Co. agents for Baltic Shipping Company stated that they " regret that carrying your irradiated nue). ear reactor fuel is not considered a viable prospect at present." Two other lines responded by telephone and stated that they would study the feasibility.
They were advised to give us a letter of intent if they were at all interested and wanted to be considered because we had to respond to NRC before August 31.
To date we have receited no response from them.
Based on the information now available to us we have concluded that no viable alternative to Portsmouth, Virginia exists. The only remote possibility is North Charleston. However, we feel strongly that it is not prudent to transfer these shipments to an area which has already started action aimed at preventing these shipments from transiting tha To start such shipments through this area and have then stopped area.
af ter the first few would be self-defeating.
Accordingly, we request that the interim approval given our original request for the route from Portsmouth, Virginia to the Savannah River Plant at Aiken, South Carolina be made permanent. This port remains the only port available which has a steamship line willing to carry the freight, a
port authority eager to handle the freight and a municipality which had passed no ordinances preventing these shipments and to the best of our knowledge has no proposed ordinances and no plans to propose such ordinances.
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Edward S.
Dixon Drawer M
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Dear 7'ayor Dixon:
Toe U. S. Nuclear Regu]atory CommiS: ion (NRC) has recently impcsed a new set of regulations establishing requirements fuel in transit.
These for protection of irradiated reactorto p:cvide pt:otection against regulations were establishedfuel shipments particularly in areas of sabotage of spen t radiological high population density where the potential from sabotage could be serious.
A consequences resulting copy of these regulations is enclosed for your information.
to assist licensees in the A copy of the NRC document to you implementation of these regulations will be sent early next week.
Tr an snucle a r, Inc. is a fuel cycle service company specializing in the transportation of all forms of radioactive For the.past materials on a domestic and world-wide basis.
two years we have been shipping spent fuel from research reactors in Europe to the Depar tment of Energy's Savannah in South Carolina.
These shipments have been River plant into the United States at Portsmouth, Virginia and brought to South Carolina.
The casks which are shipped by truckthe latest regulations of the International Atomic used meet Energy Agency and have been approved by the U.S.
Dept. of Transportation for imports into the United Stat es.
Under the provisions of the recently established regu-lations the NRC has given us an i..terim approval to continue
- However, utilizing Portsmouth', Virginia as a port of entry.
we have been requested by the URC to investigate the use of other ports which are not located in heavily poptlated areas.
is one which we a:e cu.widering.
The port at Morehead City We will be contacting pertinent steamship comparles >hich now call or have indicated a wi17'ngness to call at this' port.
We will also contact the port authorities.
" we find that the cargo can be landed at the port and appropriate 133:
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equipment is available to transfer to our truck, do you know any reason why the spent fuel carnot be trucked from the port area on a route to Intersta:e 95 which we would take to i/
reach the Savannah River plant?
We will be glad to discuss this matter with you at any time and we will be pleased to meet with you if required.
The NRC has requested that our study be completed by August 31 so we would appreciate having your written response by August 24.
Very truly yours, Bill Teer Vice President
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August 6, 1979 Mr. Robert F. Goins Port Director North Carolina State Ports Authority Morehead City Terminal P.O. Drawer 829 Morehead City, NC 28557
Dear Mr. Goins:
Transnuclear Inc. is a nuclear fuel cycle services One of our major areas of work is the transportation ccmpany.
of nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials on a world-wide basis.
One commodity which we have been transpecting for over two years is irradiated nuclear. reactor fuel from European research reactors.
This fuel has been entering the United States through the port of Portsmouth Virginia and has been transported by truck to the U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Facility at Aiken South Carolina.
Atlantic Container Lines has been performing the area transport portion of these transports.
Recently the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has enacted new regulations concerning these shipments which Certain requires approval by NRC of the overland route.
areas have been defined by NRC as urban areas and these areas are not to be transversed by the land transport routes unless it is impracticable to use another route.
The Portsmouth Virginia area Nas been defined as one of the urban areas and NRC has requested us to analyze the feasibility of utilizing other steamship lines and seaports.
Accordingly we list below the characteristics of the 10 spent fuel casks which are being utilized for these trans-ports and request you to respond to us concerning your ability and willingness to handle this freight.
All of these casks meet the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation and are validated for use in the U.S.
by the U.S. Departe.ent of Transportation.
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Pegase Cask-6 casks cach having below listed characteristics are being used.
Gross weight approximately 50,000 lbs.
Cask is a right circular cylinder approximately 5-1/2 feet in diameter and 7 feet high.
The cask sits on a base which is apptcximately 10-1/2 feet long x 7-1/2 feet wide by 6 inches high.
Shipped as yellow label III fissile class II "
Total curies range: 400,000-1,300,000 TI range: 0.1-3.0 Goslar Cask-2 casks each having below listed characteristics are being used.
Gross weight approximately 24 000 lbs.
Cask is a right circular cylinder approximately 50 inches in diameter by 50 inches.high.
The cask sits on a hexagonal base which is approx-imately 7 feet across the points and 6 feet across the flats and is 10 inches high.
Shipped as yellow label III fissile Class II Total curies range: 112,000-132,000 TI range: 0.1-3.0 o
TN1 Cask-one-cask being used.
Gross weight approximately 43,500 lbs.
Cask is basically cylindrical approximately 4-1/2 feet in diameter and 10 feet long.
Cask is shipped in a frame in a predominently horizontal position.
Shipped as yellow lable III fissile Class II Total curie content: approximately 1,019,000 TI range: approximately 8.0 TN7 Cask-one cask being used.
Gross weight approximately 50,000 lbs.
Cask is a right circular cylinder approximately 4-1/2 feet in diameter and 12 feet long.
Cask is shipped in a frame in a predominently horizontal position Shipped as yellow label III fissile Class II Total curie range: 500,000-700,000 TI range: 4.0-6.0 The Pegase casks are being shipped from France and the Goslar, TN1 and TN7 casks from Germany.
When they leave the pcrt area they are on covered trailers driven by tractors v
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The frequenc y has averaged about one cask per week although a time.
the Pegase and Goslar casks are usually shipped 2 at V4ry truly yours, T.N
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~ 'E.' : c S: ate Per:: L:rcr::y D f.: Faircloth W::iam M A G eene. Executoe C. rector Secretary (919)733-4962 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE August 22, 1979 Mr. John Mangusi General Manager, Operations Transnuclear, Inc.
One North Broadway White Plains, New lork 10601
Dear Mr. Mangusi:
The North Carolina State Ports Authority has reviewed your letter of August 6, 1979, on the subject of transporting irradiated nuclear reactor fuel through the Ports of Morehead City and Wilming-ton.
The subject also has been discussed with the appropriate state officials.
Please be advised that we do not want North Carolina's ports utilized for this purpose. Adjoining communities of both ports are highly populated.
Since both are resort areas, the population is even more a consideration, particularly during the spring, summer and fall seasons.
Should there be further communication necessary on this matter, please feel free to call on me.
Yours very truly,
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$l pal Sjetnut August 15, 1979 Mr. Bill Teer, Vice President Transnuclear, Inc.
One North Broadway White Plains, New York 10601
Dear Mr. Teer:
This letter is in response to your letter to Mayor Riley dated August 3, 1979.
I apologize for the delay in responding, but I have been out of town.
Enclosed please find a copy of Ordinance No. 1979-42 entitled "An Ordinance Regulating the Transportation of Nuclear Material."
This Ordinance bans the transportation of certain quantities of radioactive material through the City of Charleston.
I would advise you to study this Ordinance and determine whether or not the material you seek to transport through the City of Charleston is banned.
If I can be of any assistan.ce to you in
- his matter, please do not hesitate to call upon me.
I am at (803) 577-6726.
Sincerely, Robert N.
Rosen Enclosure Assistant Corporation Counsel RNR/bjw The Honorable 27seph P. Riley, Jr.
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Mr. John Mangusi General Manager, Operations T'ransnuclear, Inc.
1 North Broadway White Plains, New York 10601
Dear Mr. Mangusi:
I am writing in response to your August 6th letter concerning the transport of nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials through the S.C. State Ports Authority facilities in Charleston.
We have analyzed the description of the casks you included in your letter.
Our Operations people believe we have the physical capability to handle the casks you described at any of our three terminal facilities in the port of Charleston. We have, from time to time, over the past several years handled similar shipments at Charleston. From our experience and from information we have analyzed, we are confident that this material could be unloaded efficiently and safely at our terminals.
However, it is necessary for me to point out to you existing and potential constraints.
Our Columbus Street and Union Pier tenninals lie within the City of Charleston which has recently adopted an ordinance severely restricting the shipment of nuclear materials on the public streets in Charleston. This would mean that a shipment like those you described would, in all probability, be constrained from moving on the Charleston city streets after being unloaded at either of these two tenninals.
Also, the County of Charleston recently adopted a resolution criticizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failing to designate the Charleston metro-politan area as an urban area to be avoided by nuclear material transport routes. We understand there was also some discussion by the County of Charleston which surrounds our third terminal (North Charleston Terminal) concerning the adoption of a nuclear transport ordinance similar to that of the City of Charleston.
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Mr. John Mangust August 14, 1979 Page 2 If you need any further infonnation, please contact me. Thank you for your interest in our Port facilities.
Sincerely, p$ (kk+$
W. Don Welch WDW:jk 4
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