Framatome has received approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission of a licence amendment allowing its shipping containers to be used to transport fresh nuclear fuel with enrichment above 5%.

Kepco Nuclear Fuel has developed a light-water reactor fuel transport container that meets international requirements with domestic technology.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd has placed an order with Holtec International subsidiary Holtec Asia to supply HI-STAR transport casks to serve away-from-reactor storage for Kudankulam units 1 and 2. NPCIL has also issued a call for tenders for the construction of a used fuel storage facility for Kudankulam units 3 and 4.

The US Department of Energy has issued a request for proposals for the fabrication and testing of a prototype eight-axle railcar - known as Fortis - to carry used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
 

Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organisation has released two planning documents that address the wide range of priorities, questions and concerns heard to date from Canadians and Indigenous peoples about the transportation of used nuclear fuel.

The UK's specialist nuclear transport ships and their base in Barrow-in-Furness will be managed by AW Ship Management under a five-year contract announced today. The deal - worth GBP59 million (USD78 million) - concerns three ships owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority through its subsidiary Nuclear Transport Solutions.

Nuclear fuel cycle companies are taking steps to reduce their operational carbon emissions through recent announcements. Orano is partnering with freight rail operator Fret SNCF to develop its carbon-free transport in France and Europe; UK company Nuclear Transport Solutions' rail division has launched a new locomotive design to trial the use of a low-emission renewable alternative to diesel; and in Russia, ARMZ Mining Machinery has increased the use of battery-operated machinery at its Priargunsky mining operations.

The world's only nuclear powered cargo ship yesterday set sail from the Russian port of St Petersburg laden with a cargo of components destined for the Rooppur nuclear power plant under construction in Bangladesh. The NS Sevmorput, which is operated by Rosatom enterprise Atomflot, is transporting the 1400 tonne cargo - described as mainly comprising "metal structures and mechanisms" - to the port of Vladivostock.

The Oceanic Pintail purpose-built nuclear transport ship, which was decommissioned in November 2020 after 33 years of service, has now been fully recycled, Nuclear Transport Solutions announced today. Its contractor - Dales Marine Services - had been set the target that 98% of the vessel be recycled.

A unique transport vehicle with integrated packaging for solid medium and high-level waste has been developed by Equans Specialized Nuclear Services on behalf of Ondraf/Niras, the Belgian agency for the management of radioactive waste. The vehicle has undergone testing and is expected to be put into service by the end of this year.

Processing radioactive waste or used fuel from other countries has been banned in Slovakia, after a parliamentary resolution yesterday. The move will force the closure of a business unit of JAVYS, potentially leading to job losses once ongoing work is completed.

NAC International has announced that its Optimus-H system for packaging radioactive waste has been certified for use in Canada. Optimus-H is more heavily shielded than the Optimus-L version which was certified last year, and is suitable for a broader range of higher activity wastes.