The transportation of spent nuclear fuel is carried out in accordance with stringent security regulations—the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR 03). These regulations are administered and enforced by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), part of the Health and Safety Executive, who regulate the security of such movements.
A key requirement of the NISR 03 is that all carriers of civil nuclear material submit a Transport Security Statement (TSS), which is legally binding, detailing the security policies and procedures implemented in order to prevent the theft or sabotage of civil nuclear material in transit. Before a carrier can commence the transport of civil nuclear material, the TSS has to be approved by OCNS who must be assured that the standards detailed are sufficiently robust.
Security measures for the transportation of nuclear material and of licensed nuclear sites are kept under continuing review in light of the prevailing threat and we are satisfied that existing procedures are robust and effective.
The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), part of the Health and Safety Executive, is the Government's regulator for security in the civil nuclear industry and is responsible for ensuring, inter alia, that the industry complies with the requirements of the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR 03).
The NISR 03 makes provision for the protection of nuclear material, both on sites and in transit, against the risks of theft and sabotage, and for the protection of sensitive nuclear information, such as site security arrangements.