Ship runs aground at shuttered nuclear plant in Sweden
Mike Ouellette
The ship had no dangerous cargo aboard; the decommissioned nuclear power plant is set to be dismantled starting in 2023
STOCKHOLM—A ship used to transport nuclear waste ran aground April 8 at a decommissioned nuclear power in southern Sweden, authorities said.
The Swedish Maritime Administration says M/S Sigrid had no dangerous cargo aboard and was on its way into the harbour outside the Barseback nuclear plant, where reactors were closed in 1999 and 2005.
The government agency said the cause of the grounding was unclear. There were no reports of leakages from the ship, nor had the hull been damaged. A pilot was onboard the M/S Sigrid when it ran aground.
The agency later said a tugboat was on location and divers would investigate the hull later April 8.
The entrance to the port is sensitive to winds, the administration said. The case was not considered as a rescue operation because the vessel has not sent out an emergency call, it added.
The plant is set to be dismantled starting in 2023. All nuclear fuel, which contained most of the radioactive substances, has already been removed, according to the plant’s website.
