A PRESSURE group has called for an independent investigation into the Valaris DS4 ship scandal that saw a major emergency operation mounted after it broke from its moorings. Environmental activists The Friends of the Firth of Clyde have said a major incident ‘was narrowly averted’, one they claim could have led to loss of life and major pollution. It has been claimed that if the anchor on the vessel had not held amid the 70mph winds, then the ship was only 15-20 minutes away from striking the Isle of Cumbrae. A group spokesperson said: “The incident raises important questions, and we ask what does it tell us about the suitability of the jetty for activities proposed in the Hunterston Master Plan?

Largs & Millport Weekly News 20th Feb 2021 read more »

Pete Wilkinson: Low level radiation – a game changer for the nuclear power and weapons industries? The murky world of deceit, lies and deliberate withholding of information that characterised the race to develop the A and H-bombs in the immediate aftermath of WW2 as former allies became cold war enemies. The greater ‘good’ of possessing weapons of mass destruction to deter an aggressor outweighed the need to inform people of the unknowns surrounding the long-term effects of exposure to radiation. “Keeping the public confused” made it possible to develop those weapons without the encumbrance of protests. Following a Children with Cancer UK international conference in 2018, a modest grant was awarded to the Low Level Radiation Campaign to write a report, compiling the evidence that supported the view that the health effects of exposure to low doses of alpha emitting radioactive materials are woefully underestimated. The report has been sent to every major government department, to MPs and to regulators. The response has been totally underwhelming. The government is unable even to consider that the industry on which it has relied since the 1940s to provide its plutonium, its nuclear engineers, its nuclear research facilities, much of its electricity and its medical isotopes, might be contributing to disease and death in the population. And it refuses to instruct its publicly funded expert body, CoMARE, to do so on its behalf.

Yorkshire Bylines 21st Feb 2021 read more »

A Sizewell B worker returned to his old school to talk about working at the nuclear power plant – and encourage them to look at apprenticeships at the complex. Gavin Rousseau joined the station as an apprentice in 1991 and is now a manager at the station, which has just celebrated its 26th anniversary of producing low carbon electricity.

East Anglian Daily Times 20th Feb 2021 read more »

CAMPAIGNERS are calling for much more stringent safety measures at Scottish ports after a narrowly avoided environmental disaster earlier this month. On Tuesday, February 2, two large drillships broke their moorings during a period of severe weather at the Hunterston Port, just a short distance from the Hunterston nuclear reactor site. It was later revealed that port owners, Peel Ports, were warned about the safety issues of having two huge oil drilling vessels berthed off the North Ayrshire coast two weeks before the incident occurred. The local community council raised concerns about the safety of having two huge drillships in the narrow waters of the Firth of Clyde when they arrived there last year. The Farilie Community Council were concerned that the berthing of the two huge vessels was “not being overseen adequately” in a letter to Peel Ports on January 21. The letter also raised concerns that it seemed there was “nobody in overall charge at the jetty”. The Friends of the Firth of Clyde group have said that: “It is clear this incident was averted from serious accident by a number of chance circumstances and the swift action of our emergency services. Should this not have occurred, there could have been a dual shipwreck, with likely high environmental damage and potential loss of life. We demand a full and public incident investigation in order to prevent reoccurrence and to guarantee that any proposals for future use of the terminal will be fully scrutinised in light of this investigation.”

The National 16th Feb 2021 read more »

Hunterston could be set to become a green port, after proposals were unveiled for a new model of ports focused on inclusive growth, fair work practices and delivering a net zero waste economy. The Scottish Government is developing plans to establish fair, sustainable, green ports offering streamlined planning processes and a package of tax and customs reliefs. Under the proposals, green port operators would have to pay the real living wage, adopt the Scottish Business Pledge of fair work practices, equality, opportunity and innovation and commit to supporting sustainable and inclusive growth in local communities.

Ardrossan Herald 11th February 2021 read more »

NFLA Policy Briefing 211: Joint NGO response to the House of Lords Risk Assessment and Risk Planning Select Committee inquiry considering the risks of a nuclear incident.

NFLA 11th Feb 2021 read more »

IN PICTURES: Runaway drill ship returned to Hunterston terminal. The drilling ship which broke moorings and floated into the channel between Hunterston and Cumbrae has today been returned to the pier.

Largs & Millport Weekly News 8th Feb 2021 read more »

PORT officials were warned about the safety of having two huge oil drilling vessels berthed off the North Ayrshire coast two weeks before one broke free from its moorings threatening a “disaster” near a nuclear plant. A mayday call was received by the coastguard on Tuesday evening when a 748ft long ship with eight crew aboard broke from its mooring and began to drift without power amidst high winds. One community councillor from the nearby village of Fairlie told the Herald on Sunday that only a “miracle” prevented this from being “an absolute catastrophe with multiple loss of life” near the Hunterston B nuclear plant.

Ardrossan Herald 8th Feb 2021 read more »

PORT officials were warned about the safety of having two huge oil drilling vessels berthed off the North Ayrshire coast two weeks before one broke free from its moorings threatening a “disaster” near a nuclear plant.

Brinkwire 7th Feb 2021 read more »

Safety concerns raised weeks before “near disaster” near Hunterston nuclear plant. PORT officials were warned about the safety of having two huge oil drilling vessels berthed off the North Ayrshire coast two weeks before one broke free from its moorings threatening a “disaster” near a nuclear plant, the Herald on Sunday can reveal. A mayday call was was received by the coastguard on Tuesday evening when a 748ft long ship with eight crew aboard broke from its mooring and began to drift without power amidst high winds.

Herald 7th Feb 2021 read more »