Greenpeace activists protested uranium imports from Russia at Dunkirk Port on March 2, resulting in four arrests and calls for action ahead of the World
In France, Greenpeace activists protested nuclear trade with Russia at the Port of Dunkirk on the morning of March 2, Monday, led by the Greenpeace France group. Four individuals were detained during the action.
While activists demonstrated offshore in canoes and Zodiac boats in the early hours, a group of about 20 chained themselves to the lock gate at Dunkirk Port. French police ended the protest after approximately four hours. Four protesters were detained, while the others left the area following the demonstration.
Port activities returned to normal by 09:00, and the ship that was the subject of the protest was able to dock.
Targeting uranium imports from Russia
The demonstrators demanded that France halt its uranium imports from Russia and terminate its relations with the Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom. The protest was timed ahead of the World Nuclear Summit to be held in Paris on March 10.
Greenpeace claimed that the Panama-flagged cargo ship Mikhail Dudin, with a deadweight tonnage of 3,000, was carrying enriched or natural uranium from Saint Petersburg to be delivered to the French energy company EDF and its subsidiaries.
While the protesters called for EDF to stop the imports, they argued that this trade indirectly finances Russia's war in Ukraine. They also called for transparency in the trade and the termination of the contract EDF signed with Rosatom in 2018.
Claim of 'at least 20 voyages'
Greenpeace asserted that they have tracked a cargo ship making at least 20 voyages between Russia and France since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The organization also claimed that a second vessel named Baltiyskiy has made 15 voyages in the past four years.
According to a French news agency, France has imported at least 112 tons of enriched uranium and its derivatives from Russia. This amount constitutes about a quarter of total purchases, and although volumes are expected to decrease during the 2022-2024 period, imports have remained stable over the past two years.
Debate on nuclear dependency
EDF is reported to be adhering to the contract it signed with Rosatom in 2018. It is stated that Russia possesses the only facilities in the world capable of processing used uranium from France's nuclear plants. Although discussions have been held regarding the establishment of a similar facility in France, no concrete steps have been taken in this direction.
While the European Union has imposed comprehensive sanctions on Russia over the past four years, the nuclear energy sector has been excluded from these sanctions. Greenpeace argues that France has obstructed sanctions against Rosatom, asserting that the company should be added to the sanctions list.
This issue had previously come to the fore
In November of last year, Greenpeace published photographs of barrels loaded onto the same ship at a French port, claiming that these were sent back to Russia for reprocessing. The organization alleges that this trade resumed in 2021, and that the French government promised to end this trade in 2022.
The recent action in Dunkirk has reopened the sensitive debate regarding the balance between France's energy security and sanctions against Russia.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
