A new PNTL vessel, the Pacific Heron, has arrived at her home port of Barrow-in-Furness.

The ship has been constructed by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., Ltd at Tamano shipyard in Japan.

The Pacific Heron is a development on the design of the current PNTL ships which provide a safe and reliable service with the cargo compartments protected by a double hull configuration together with back-up availability of all essential systems.

The vessel forms part of an ongoing commitment to provide a dedicated specialist nuclear transport operation. The PNTL fleet has an exemplary record with over five million miles travelled without any incident resulting in the release of radioactivity.

International Nuclear Services Operations Director, Alastair Brown said: “We are delighted to take receipt of the Pacific Heron, the first PNTL vessel built since the Pacific Pintail in 1987. Mitsui are also currently working on two further INF 3 ships which are scheduled to be in service by early 2011.

“The new ships will ensure that suitable vessels are available to carry out future transports of nuclear material between Europe and Japan.”

PNTL ships are dedicated to the transportation of nuclear material and are classified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of the United Nations at its highest INF 3 class.

For more information contact:

Sellafield Communications

Steve Barnes
+44 (0)1925 833249

Ali McKibbin
+44 (0) 19467 85839

Ben Todd
+44 (0) 1925 834431

About PNTL

Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited’s ships are dedicated to the transportation of nuclear material that is classified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of the United Nations at its highest level of INF 3 class. The INF Code regulates shipments by sea of packaged irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and high level radioactive wastes.

PNTL has successfully completed over 170 shipments in the last 30 years. In each case, the nuclear material is shipped in specially designed packages known as ‘casks’ or ‘flasks’. The ships have safely covered more than 5 million miles and there has never been a single incident resulting in the release of radioactivity. Over 2,000 casks of nuclear material have been safely transported by PNTL.

PNTL operates as a subsidiary company of International Nuclear Services Ltd. PNTL is owned by International Nuclear Services Ltd, TN International and a number of Japanese companies.

About International Nuclear Services Ltd

International Nuclear Services Ltd manages the contracts and logistics for nuclear fuel recycling products and services for UK and overseas customers. It is 100 per cent owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

For more information: www.pntl.co.uk/ www.innuserv.com