Radiation Protection
- Home
- Radiation Protection
- Radiation Emergencies
- Assessing the Suitability of Australian Ports for Visits by Nuclear Powered Warships
- Introduction
- Radiation Basics
- Radiation and Health Fact Sheets
- Radionuclide Fact Sheets
- Magnetic & Electric Fields From Power Lines
- Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Literature Survey
- Mobile Telephones & Health
- Mobile Phone Base Station Survey 2007 - 09
- ARPANSA Environmental EME Reports
- Solar Ultraviolet Radiation
- Radioactive Waste Management
- Radiation Protection Websites
- ELF Magnetic Field Meter Hire
- Radiation Emergencies
- Australian Radiation Incident Register
- Electromagnetic Radiation Health Complaints Register
- Survey of Residential Power Frequency Magnetic Fields
quick links
contact
For more information please get in touch with ARPANSA
- +61 3 9433 2211
- +61 3 9432 1835
- email ARPANSA
Suitability of Australian Ports for Visits by Nuclear Powered Warships
The 2000 Reference Accident Used to Assess the Suitability of Australian Ports for Visits by Nuclear Powered Warships
Get the complete 2000 Reference Accident (PDF 862k) report.
The Commonwealth Government has established an interdepartmental standing committee called the Visiting Ships Panel (Nuclear) (VSP(N)) to control arrangements for visits to Australia by Nuclear Powered warships (NPWs).
The responsibilities of the VSP(N) are to:
- advise the Minister of Defence on proposals for NPW visits;
- develop and maintain procedures related to NPW visits; and
- oversee the implementation of specific arrangements, especially safety requirements, for visits by NPWs.
This document has been prepared by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Regulatory and Policy Branch for the VSP(N).
For the purposes of emergency planning, the radiological consequences of a severe hypothetical accident scenario are calculated and compared with radiological acceptance criteria. The hypothetical accident, termed the Reference Accident, is selected to represent an upper bound risk to the surrounding population, and is used to assist in planning emergency arrangements. The use of such a Reference Accident is also the basis for estimating the adequacy of emergency planning for any research reactor sites in Australia. The aim of the Reference Accident is to aid in planning emergency measures that would take effect if an accident occurred on a visiting NPW, and involved the release of radionuclides from the nuclear reactor on these vessels.
The calculated consequences of this scenario are compared with port acceptability criteria to determine, on a port specific basis, whether the impact of the Reference Accident on the surrounding population meets the criteria. In addition, emergency planning zones based on the calculated consequences of the Reference Accident are used by emergency planning authorities in developing port specific emergency arrangements. Publicly available reports documenting port assessments for approved ports have routinely been published by the NSB. The ARPANSA Regulatory and Policy Branch will publish future port assessments.
Top of Page