Guide for the transport of fissile material

In the 2012 edition of the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (SSR-6), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revised the provisions for the transport of fissile material. With the implementation of the 2012 edition of the IAEA Regulations into the dangerous goods transport provisions of the different modes of transport, the revised provisions became effective in 2015.

The guide for the transport of materials containing fissile nuclides is to facilitate the application of the provisions that are effective from 2015. It was prepared by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). The tasks of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in the procedure for type approval of packages were transferred to the Federal Office for Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE) on 30 July 2016. The guide is only in German available, but was prepared on the basis of the IAEA TECDOC-1768 "Application of the Revised Provisions for Transport of Fissile Material in the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material".

Content of the guide

The guide addresses all users (consignors, carriers, etc.) transporting radioactive material as well as the competent authorities.

The new provisions provide a graduated system of the exemption from requirements for

• Classification,
• Packaging, and
• Approval

of materials containing fissile nuclides. For a better understanding of this new system and for reasons of clarity, the provisions for the transport of fissile material were assigned to groups and explained in this guide. The objective is

• To support the user in the transport of materials containing fissile nuclides,
• To provide assistance for classification of the materials to be transported and the selection of the provisions to be applied, and
• To give hints regarding marking and labelling and the transport documents.

Additionally, the presentation of practical example applications is to facilitate the understanding for the provisions and their application.

Important information

The document "Comparison of paragraphs of the IAEA Regulations (SSR-6) and the provisions of the different modes of transport" contains a table where the provisions of the different modes of transport (road, rail, inland waterways, sea and air) are assigned to the corresponding paragraphs of the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material.

This guide does neither replace the provisions nor limit their application. The dangerous goods transport provisions of the different modes of transport must be applied in any case.