Estimated Radiation Dose from a Mox Fuel Shipping Package that is Hypothetically Submerged in the Sea

Abstract

The sea transport of fresh MOX fuel from Europe to Japan is under consideration. For the structure and equipment of transport ships for fresh MOX fuels, there is a special safety standard called the INF Code of the IMO. For transport of radioactive materials, there is a safety standard stipulated in the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material issued by the IAEA. Under these, code and standard, fresh MOX fuel will be transported safely by sea. However, a dose assessment has been made by assuming that a fresh MOX fuel package might be sunk from some unexpected cause. In both cases, for a package sunk in the coastal region and for one sunk in the open sea, the evaluated results of the dose equivalent by radiation exposure of the public are far below the dose equivalent limit of the ICRP recommendation (1 mSv.y⁻¹).