Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL), the specialist international shipper of nuclear materials, today launches its first website.

The new website, www.pntl.co.uk, provides information on the PNTL fleet, ship safety systems and international regulations. It includes a vessel tour feature and contains animation that demonstrates some of the special safety systems employed by the fleet. It also has information packs for journalists and downloadable images.

PNTL operates three purpose-built vessels, the Pacific Teal, Pacific Sandpiper and Pacific Pintail. It moves used (spent) nuclear fuel, vitrified high-level radioactive waste and mixed oxide fuel, chiefly between Europe and Japan. Last year, PNTL shipped surplus weapons-grade plutonium from the United States to France as part of an international programme to reduce stocks of nuclear weapons. The PNTL ships meet the highest classification – known as INF 3 – for the shipment of nuclear materials under a mandatory code of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Captain Malcolm Miller, General Manager of PNTL and Head of International Transport for the company’s parent company, BNFL, said: “For many years we have recognized the value of communicating information to the public about our shipments. The PNTL website takes this to a new level, providing everything from quick facts to detailed technical information in a format that is easy to access and navigate.”

The PNTL website was created by Capital Idea Ventures, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based web development company, in association with public relations advisors Butterfield Carter and Associates.

D.J. Smith, President of Capital Idea Ventures, said: “One of the challenges was to manage the large amount of information that PNTL wanted to communicate to different audiences, ranging from members of the public to journalists, researchers and industry specialists. We developed PNTL’s safety system as the focus of the site, supplementing text with an interactive ship tour and edited video animation, while also incorporating a series of links to related items.”

PNTL is owned by BNFL (UK), Cogema (France) and Japanese nuclear companies. It operates as a subsidiary company of BNFL.

For further information contact:

Janine Claber 01925 832146