The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea today delivered its Order in the MOX Plant Case, Provisional Measures (Ireland v. United Kingdom). The Order was read by the President of the Tribunal, Judge P. Chandrasekhara Rao.

THE DISPUTE

The dispute stems from the authorisation of the United Kingdom to open a new MOX facility in Sellafield. The facility is designed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel into a new fuel, known as mixed oxide fuel, or MOX. The Irish Government has pointed out that the operation of the plant will contribute to the pollution of the Irish Sea and underlined the potential risks involved in the transportation of radioactive material to and from the plant.

By notification dated 25 October 2001, addressed to the United Kingdom, Ireland requested that the dispute be submitted to an arbitral tribunal to be established under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.