Transport of Class 7 Radioactive Goods packages from Harwell and Winfrith sites to Sellafield site

All carriers of Class 7 shipments on behalf of the NMT Project must be on the NRS Approved Carrier list which confirms that their arrangements (including those for security) have been audited to meet minimum standards. In addition, when transferring Security Category III radioactive material outside the Nuclear Site Licence boundary hauliers are required to be recognised by ONR CNSS as an ‘Approved Carrier’. This process requires the Carrier to comply with the Security Assessment Principles for the Civil Nuclear Industry (SyAps) and produce a Transport Security Statement (TSS). A TSS is required under Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 403, The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003. In order to undertake Class 7 transport movements drivers must be trained accordingly and be approved under the ADR Regulations.

The Nuclear Materials Transfer project regularly consigns Class 7 Radioactive material from the Harwell site to Sellafield for storage and processing. In order to comply with the above the NMT Project is restricted to which carriers can be used in regards to a) whether they are on the NRS Approved Carrier list, b) whether they are an ONR CNSS ‘Approved Carrier’ for Cat III moves and c) have SQEP trained drivers under ADR (Dangerous Goods) and with the required authorisation on their driving licence.

Only Sellafield meet the following requirements:

1. SL Transport drivers have full access to SL site. Other external carriers do not have this access.
2. SL Transport have around 30 ADR approved drivers available to the NMT Project. Other carriers do not have this resource pool resulting in risk to the NMT project on them not being able to fulfil the schedule requirements of the project.

NRS has purchased bespoke trailers for this project which have become an NDA asset. As SL are part of the NDA estate this means that SL Transport are able to operate these trailers on behalf of the NMT Project. If the project was to task an external (non-NDA estate) carrier to operate these trailers, there would need to be additional insurances and agreements put in place.