430 MILES EAST OF MAR DEL PLATA, ARGENTINA

The position of the Pacific Pintail at 0700 GMT was 40 degrees and 54 minutes south and 48 degrees and 16 minutes west, at a distance of some 430 miles off the Argentine city Mar del Plata. We are sailing on a compass course of 204 degrees and at a speed of 11.5 knots. Yet again the Pintail has slowed its approach of Cape Horn for reasons unknown.

Greenpeace applauds the opposition increasingly expressed by the people and countries in Latin America to the shipment of radioactive waste through their coastal waters. It is an absolute outrage that this opposition is not being listened to by the plutonium industry in France and Japan, nor by the ship-operators of the Pacific Pintail, Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL) of Barrow in England. PNTL operates not only the Pacific Pintail, but a whole fleet of nuclear waste transport vessels, which are: The Pacific Pintail, the Pacific Sandpiper, the Pacific Crane, the Pacific Teal and the Pacific Swan.

Greenpeace believes the only way to halt these shipments is by a formal prohibition of ships carrying nuclear waste, nuclear spent fuel or plutonium to transit the 200 mile zone around Cape Horn under the jurisdiction of Argentina and Chile, and to forbid these shipments to pass outside of these waters out of safety precautions in order to protect Argentina's and Chile's coastal waters and the Antarctic environment from the threat of radioactive pollution. Today, Greenpeace Solo crew members painted a nuclear warning message, to be visible from the air, for any military aircraft, highlighted the danger of seabound nuclear waste transport.

53KB GIF or 19KB JPG. Ben Murray, Third Engineer, painting the Solo with a "Stop Pollution" slogan to be visible from the air. ©Greenpeace/Sims

Should the shipment with the Pacific Pintail succeed in rounding Cape Horn, then it can be expected that the Cape Horn route will be used for future shipments of spent fuel, nuclear waste and plutonium. On average, once every two months a shipment of highly radioactive used nuclear fuel is transported from Japan to France and the UK, while in the future some 30-50 more return shipments are expected of nuclear wastes for Japan. In addition to these shipments, the plutonium industry is looking for a transport route to ship the weapons-grade plutonium produced in France and the UK. In 1992 a shipment of plutonium invoked enormous opposition from coastal nations along the transport route along the coasts of Africa, Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific Island States.

If additional information on the Pacific Pintail's voyage or it's cargo of plutonium waste is required, please contact Bas Bruyne on the Solo (phone: ++871-1301166--Warning $10 per minute), or Karen Richardson at Greenpeace UK (phone: ++44-171-226-3151). Photo, video or other media requests to Blair Palese or Mark Warford at Greenpeace Communications (phone: ++44-171-8330-600).

Media and others interested in tracking the shipment's route daily should access Greenpeace World Wide Web site at: HTTP://WWW.greenpeace.org/ Greenpeace today will issue an Internet press release to all technical and communications magazines informing them of Greenpeace's innovative use of the Net. Greenpeace updates the course of the Pacific Pintail, as shadowed by the Solo, twice daily, with pictures and sounds from the voyage. Greenpeace believes that by transmitting news, pictures, and sound directly from the site of Greenpeace activity directly into the Internet they will significantly increase the public's awareness of environmental degradation. "By giving the public direct access to news stories we are able to increase awareness of environmental issues without interference by the traditional, and increasingly conservative, news media. We are also making a significant contribution to the rapid development of the Internet", says Jim Sweet, Information Technology Manager at Greenpeace Communications.

115KB GIF or 31KB JPG. Jim Sweet, IT Manager at Greenpeace Communications, working on Greenpeace's Web pages. Shot of Solo ©Greenpeace/Sims. Portrait of Jim Sweet ©Greenpeace/Novis.

Best regards and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)
Bas Bruyne (Campaigner)

Date: WED 15-MAR-95 18:56:03 GMT -- DAY 21, PART II

450 MILES OFF THE ARGENTINE COAST; SAILING TOWARDS THE FALKLAND OR MALVINAS ISLANDS

The Pacific Pintail at 1900 GMT was at a position of 43 degrees and 32 minutes South and 49 degrees and 49 minutes West, or on a distance of some 450 miles off the Argentinean city Mar del Plata. The continent's nuclear nightmare is sailing on a compass course of 205 degrees and at a speed of 14 knots. The Pacific Pintail is slowly making her way towards the Falkland, or otherwise called the Malvinas Islands.

Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile have all asked that the Pacific Pintail not be allowed within their jurisdictional waters. Until today, however, Argentina has only sent a Navy Aircraft to check the position and course of the Pacific Pintail. Should the ship maintain its course and speed then it will first come within the 200 miles zone around the Falklands, and subsequently pass into Argentinean waters around Saturday night the 18th of March.

Greenpeace fears that Japan, France and the United Kingdom are negotiating with the Argentinean authorities to let the Pintail pass within the Argentinean 200 mile Economic Exclusion Zone around Cape Horn. Such a decision by Argentina would amount to giving cart blanche to the plutonium industry to make the route around Cape Horn the preferred regular route for shipments of radioactive waste, spent fuel and plutonium now that Caribbean and Central American nations have successfully objected to such transports in their region.

Greenpeace calls on the Governments of Argentina and Chile to abide by their statements not to allow the Pacific Pintail into their Economic Exclusion Zones, and to formally and publicly announce that no passage will be granted to any radioactive waste, spent fuel or plutonium ship between Argentina, Chile and the pristine continent of Antarctica--the most dangerous route possible.

If additional information on the Pacific Pintail's voyage or it's cargo of plutonium waste is required, please contact Bas Bruyne on the Solo (phone: ++871-1301166--Warning $10 per minute), or Karen Richardson at Greenpeace UK (phone: ++44-171-226-3151). Photo, video or other media requests to Blair Palese or Mark Warford at Greenpeace Communications (phone: ++44-171-8330-600). Footage of the Solo tracking the Pacific Pintail off the South American Coast is available from Greenpeace Communications.

Media and others interested in tracking the shipment's route daily should access Greenpeace World Wide Web site at: HTTP://WWW.greenpeace.org/

Best regards and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)
Bas Bruyne (Campaigner)