nuclear-news

as a heavy metal, uranium is also toxic in the same way as lead or mercury. The compound is certainly not safe to be ingested or inhaled, and cleaning it up requires specialized knowledge and equipment, 

Uranium spill ship moored in limbo off North Vancouver, Empty ship for sale by bankrupt owners while cargo’s costs subject of civil suit, By James Weldon, North Shore News September 25, 2011 A ship that made headlines this year when a large amount of radioactive cargo spilled in its hold has wound up in limbo off North Vancouver while the owners duke it out in court…..

The events that led to the squabble began in December 2010, when Cameco packed up 350 tonnes of uranium concentrate – commonly called yellow cake – at its plant in Saskatchewan. The company put the radioactive powder into 840 drums, which it then packed into shipping containers for transport.

The cargo was sent to Vancouver and loaded onto the Altona for shipment to Zhan Jiang, China, where it would be processed into nuclear fuel. The ship set sail on Christmas Eve.

Somewhere between Hawaii and Midway Islands, the vessel hit rough weather, and some of the cargo fell over. An unspecified amount of the powder burst out of the containers, out of the drums and into the cargo hold. The crew discovered the mishap several days later…..

as a heavy metal, uranium is also toxic in the same way as lead or mercury. The compound is certainly not safe to be ingested or inhaled, and cleaning it up requires specialized knowledge and equipment, neither of which were available aboard the Altona or at its port of destination.

The ship initially tried to stop in at Honolulu, but was prevented by the U.S. Coast Guard, who raised concerns over the hazardous nature of the material. It eventually made its way back to British Columbia – hitting more heavy seas on the way – and anchored at Ladysmith while the companies involved and various authorities hatched a plan for remediation.

Late in January, the boat was moved to the Ballantyne docks in the Port of Vancouver, where Cameco and the authorities oversaw the lengthy cleanup process…..

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Uranium+spill+ship+moored+limbo+North+Vancouver/5456058/story.html