U.S. May OK Shipping Plutonium by Sea : Lawmakers Opposed; Weapons-Grade Material Going to Japan

In a shift that has already stirred controversy in Congress, the Reagan Administration is moving to approve regular shipments of U.S.-supplied, weapons-grade plutonium by cargo vessel between Western Europe and Japan by expanding an agreement between Washington and Tokyo that took effect last month.

The Defense Department has blocked such arrangements in the past, arguing that the trips would make the nuclear material more vulnerable to terrorist attack and tie up U.S. warships in escorting the cargo.

In a letter to the President, 19 lawmakers warned that such a change in the U.S.-Japan agreement would face strong congressional opposition.

‘Highly Premature’

“It is highly premature to be discussing approving individual sea shipments of plutonium, let alone a long-term advance approval to Japan for sea shipment of this bomb-usable material,” the lawmakers wrote in an Aug. 4 letter to the White House.

Expanding the nuclear agreement has been a top priority for the Japanese government, which considers the plutonium shipments an important issue in relations between the two countries. Japan obtains plutonium from the United States for its civilian nuclear reactors but must have it reprocessed in Britain and France before it is usable.

According to the agreement covering the procurement of the material, Japan is required to transport the plutonium by air, flying over polar routes and using special rupture-proof caskets that would limit the exposure in the event of a crash. Those provisions were attached by Congress because of the radioactive substance’s highly carcinogenic effects.

Crash-Proof Container

However, in late July, Japan asked the United States to expand the agreement to cover ship transports after its efforts to develop a large crash-proof casket for the plutonium stalled.

The Administration, seeking to accommodate Japan on the sensitive issue, is moving toward endorsing the new transit method.

Administration officials have told Congress they are considering revising the treaty and may provide the required congressional notification soon. Once the formal notification is made, Congress has 15 days to block it or it becomes official.

Congressional critics concerned about possible safety implications are bolstered by an internal Pentagon report that contends that plutonium-bearing ships would be “accessible and vulnerable” to terrorists during their trips, particularly when they passed through channels, straits and other restricted waterways.

Unstable Regions

The shortest routes between European reprocessing centers and Japan would take the ships through the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal or the Strait of Malacca, waterways in regions that have experienced violence or instability in recent years.

“Even if the most careful precautions are observed, no one could guarantee the safety of the cargo from a security incident, such as an attack on the vessel by small, fast craft,” said the report, produced in March.

Only one Japanese shipment of plutonium has been approved by the United States, in 1984, and on that six-week journey the vessel received escorts from American, French and Japanese warships.

“The logistical problems were significant, and there was an adverse impact on military readiness to ensure adequate security protection,” the Pentagon report said.

In the current negotiations, the Pentagon wants to attach conditions that would require U.S. approval of the security arrangements of each shipment, or Japanese certification of having met conditions negotiated in advance.

The lawmakers said they would insist at a minimum that any shipment be escorted by a warship and that the United States not pay for the service. The Pentagon estimated the cost of an escort mission at $2.8 million.