German Ports Unsure How to Deal with Contaminated Ships

[marmar]

from Der Spiegel:



DPA
Hamburg port is waiting with baited breath for ships carrying potentially radioactive cargo from Japan.


In a matter of weeks, ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated by radiation will start arriving in Europe. But the authorities in ports such as Hamburg are unsure how they should deal with them.

German port operators are nervously awaiting the expected arrival of ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated with radioactivity following the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Confusion reigns about what to do with the ships. The first such vessels are expected to arrive at German ports in mid-April, but may be turned back if they are deemed to be contaminated.

Erik van der Noordaa, the head of Germanischer Lloyd, a technical supervisory organization which conducts safety surveys on more than 7,000 ships, told the Wednesday edition of the Financial Times Deutschland that he expects European ports will "send away" ships from Japan. "In Hamburg, they will not be happy if a contaminated ship enters," he said. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754005,00.html

[Sabriel]

1. Just raise the standards for radiation, Germany

That's what the EPA did. Tah daaah! No more "contamination."

[RC]

2. The anti-Nuke crowd is sure spreading the paranoia.

Next thing you'll hear is that the ships don't need any navigation lights because they glow in the dark.

[marmar]

3. Now 'Der Spiegel' is the 'anti-nuke crowd?'

Daft.

[AndyTiedye]

4. They Installed Those Radiation Sensors to Prevent Terrorists from Importing "Dirty Bombs"

[suffragette]

5. Are DHS and the Coast Guard part of "the anti-nuke crowd" ?

http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/03/dhs-steps-up-radiation-monitoring-for-cargo-from-japan/

DHS Steps Up Radiation Monitoring for Cargo from Japan
The Department of Homeland Security’s front-line agencies, “out of an abundance of caution,” said this week that they are increasing their monitoring of vessels and cargo that arrive from Japan but are using
standard protocols to resolve any radiation alert that may arise.

According to an announcement by the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard will track vessels that transit the 50-mile zone that was established around the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The agency will conduct additional screening at sea before ships arrive at a U.S. port. The Coast Guard “will follow long-standing resolution protocols” if they detect radiation.





Why does taking precautions strike you in this way?