RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

9.3.4 Coordination with today’s transportation system
When shipments of transport casks are to begin, routine shipments to Clab and SFR will still
be in progress. Casks of the new type will be handled and administered in the same way as
the previous ones. The canister shipments will therefore be integrated into the transportation
system’s scheduling, pre-notifications (consignment notifications) will be issued, and the
procedures surrounding the shipments will be similar to those that exist now.
The start of canister shipments entail that another kind of cask will also be handled by the
system. These shipments do not entail any technical or organization difference compared
with today. The capacity of the system will depend on the number of canister transport
casks and available manpower and time resources. These resources will be adjusted so that
sufficient transport capacity is achieved for the needs of the encapsulation plant and the deep
repository.
Since many years still remain until the canister shipments get under way, it is likely that
technical and organizational changes will have occurred in the meantime for other reasons
than the commencement of canister shipments.
9.4 Requirements and other conditions for transport
Both international recommendations and agreements and national laws and regulations govern
the transport of dangerous goods such as radioactive materials.
9.4.1 Transport regulations
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, has issued transport recommendations
/9-1/, which have been developed in consultation with and approved by the member states,
including Sweden. The IAEA’s recommendations have then served as a basis for international
rules governing transport by sea, land, rail and air, as well as their Swedish equivalents. These
regulatory codes (see box) cover all types of dangerous goods, but in the case of radioactive
materials the regulations are based on the IAEA’s recommendations and are largely the same in
all the regulatory codes.
The rules cover different modes of transport, and both carriage within a country and carriage
between and through different countries. The main rules governing transport of radioactive
material are as follows:
• Minimum requirements on type of transport package depending on the nature of the goods,
i.e. physical form, chemical composition and radioactive content.
• Rules regarding maximum permissible radiation levels on the outside of packages or
vehicles.
• Marking and classification with regard to radiation level.
• Rules governing handling, stowage and consolidation with other goods.
• Checklists of measures in the event of an accident (for transport and rescue personnel).
• Requirements regarding contents of transport documents.
108 RD&D-Programme 2004