Nuclear liability and transport of nuclear material

NEA Working Party on Nuclear Liability and Transport (WPNLT) meeting on 17-18 December 2020

The NEA Working Party on Nuclear Liability and Transport (WPNLT) met remotely on 17-18 December 2020 to discuss and review its ongoing work on the practical challenges related to the nuclear liability regimes applicable to transport and transit of nuclear substances.

The WPNLT was established in 2016 to examine issues relating to the interpretation and application of international nuclear liability instruments to nuclear transport. The working party promotes the exchange of legal information relating to nuclear liability as applicable to nuclear transport and the sharing of related experience among member countries.

The group’s December meeting was held with more than 50 participants representing 15 member countries, three non‑NEA member countries, the European Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore (CIL). Representatives from the nuclear insurance industry, the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA), the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and the World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI) also participated to report on their activities related to nuclear transport.

The working party continued discussing the challenges relating to the qualification of nuclear substances to be transported. Members started to examine maritime transport issues following an overview of the maritime conventions applicable to transport given by the CIL. Presentations were also provided by the delegations of the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China on matters relating to their respective national legal and regulatory frameworks related to nuclear transport activities.

Participants also exchanged on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nuclear transport. Country sheets on national legislations and regulations applicable to nuclear transport and transit will soon be available on the NEA website.

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