A shipment of Russian uranium destined for Germany has arrived in Rotterdam

A Russian cargo ship called Mikhail Dudin, sailing under a Panamanian flag, has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam. The Ecodefense environmental rights group confirmed the arrival, stating that the ship is carrying a shipment of enriched uranium destined for a plant in Lingen, Germany. The Ukrainian ship, Mikhail Dudin, left St. Petersburg in mid-August and reached Rotterdam on the morning of September 22.

The nuclear fuel production will be carried out by a subsidiary of the French energy company Framatome, named Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF). ANF will partner with TVEL, a Rosatom structure, for the production of hexagonal fuel assemblies for Soviet-designed VVER water-water power reactors. These reactors are common in Eastern Europe.

The Mikhail Dudin was initially scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam on October 21, but was delayed by a day without any given reason. Ecodefense also believes that this is the first time Rosatom has sent fuel rods to start producing fuel for reactors in Europe. This move could save Framatome time on fuel production but raises concerns about potential manipulations on the fuel rods.

Furthermore, all work in Lingen will be executed using Russian equipment and possibly with the involvement of Rosatom experts throughout various stages of the process.

Environmental activists from AgiEL, SOFA, .ausgestrahlt, and Ecodefense held a protest near the Lingen plant on September 21, demanding an end to cooperation with Rosatom. They argue that Rosatom is participating in the war against Ukraine, as its employees operate the seized Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, Rosatom supplies high-tech components for weapons production to various companies.

The protest continued, with activists demanding the revocation of the permit issued to Rosatom to prevent significant damage to domestic and foreign security.