U.K. CLUB WARNS OF RISK FROM RADIOACTIVE SCRAP METAL

U.K. CLUB WARNS OF RISK FROM RADIOACTIVE SCRAP METAL    The U.K. P&I (protection and indemnity) Club has warned its shipowner and ship operator members that radioactive scrap metal consigned as “waste for disposal” will be excluded from insured cover as a “nuclear risk.”
   Ship operators at risk from shipping radioactive scrap as waste should “check whether they are protected by nuclear liability insurance arranged by the consignor,” the club said in a statement.
   The warning followed recent incidents in which scrap metal consignments from the former USSR, China and Egypt were contaminated with radioactive material.
   The club said ship operators should obtain clear written statements from consignors in those areas saying that scrap cargoes do not contain radioactive materials.
   “If there is any doubt, a radiation survey should be requested before loading,” the U.K. P&I Club said.