The World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI) is an

international organisation An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...

that represents the collective interests of the

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

and packaging

industries Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial secto ...

and those who rely on it for the safe, efficient and reliable

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consid ...

materials. Through the WNTI, companies are working together to promote a sound international framework for the future by helping to build international consensus, co-operation and understanding. The Institute was founded in 1998. The WNTI is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

funded by membership subscriptions. Member companies are drawn from a wide range of industry sectors including major

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

producers and

fabricators Metal fabrication is the creation of metal structures by cutting, bending and assembling processes. It is a value-added process involving the creation of machines, parts, and structures from various raw materials. Typically, a fabrication sh ...

, transport companies, package designers, package producers and mines. Headquartered in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the WNTI Secretariat has a small staff of qualified professionals working closely with members and other international bodies involved in the transport of

radioactive materials A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

Organisation

The

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

currently comprises seven directors and meets biannually. Headquartered in London, the Institute is managed by the

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

. The Secretary General chairs an

Advisory Committee An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

which reports to the

. The WNTI operates successfully as a

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

organisation, with regional offices in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Objectives

* To ensure that radioactive materials are transported by

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

, land and air safely, efficiently and reliably through the harmonised application of

nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

al and international standards, regulations and procedures; * To consult with governmental and

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

to support balanced international standards, regulations, guidelines and procedures through the preparation of industry position papers, technical briefs and scientific research; * To act as a catalyst and facilitator bringing members together to exchange views on radioactive materials transport issues and to participate in appropriate meetings, conferences and media briefings; * To support research, development and testing of packaging and systems for the transport of radioactive materials.

Roles

The WNTI provides: * A

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

for members to share information and ideas; * Well-researched, consolidated positions; * Time-sensitive, value-added analyses of regulatory changes; * Technical research, studies and publications; * Dialogue with intergovernmental organisations; * A collective voice for industry.

International cooperation

Intergovernmental organisations such as the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA) and the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

(IMO) play a pivotal role in establishing standards and regulations that apply to radioactive materials transport and it is important that industry views are represented. Through its non-governmental status, the WNTI supports the work of the key intergovernmental organisations in promoting an efficient, harmonised international transport safety regime. Exchanges within intergovernmental organisations, with competent authorities and collaboration with related industry organisations such as

FORATOM nucleareurope (formerly FORATOM, European Atomic Forum - Forum Atomique Européen), is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. Its main purpose is to promote the use of nuclear power in Europe. The current D ...

, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the

World Nuclear Association World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, ur ...

(WNA), the

World Institute for Nuclear Security The World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) is an international non-governmental membership organisation located in Vienna, Austria. Its mission is to be the leader in knowledge exchange, professional development and certification for nuclear ...

(WINS)WINS – World Institute for Nuclear Security
/ref> and the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...

(ISO) are essential and remain a priority for the WNTI.

Publication overview

The WNTI produces technical and factual information to support a background for balanced policies and regulations.The Nuclear Debate
/ref> Scientific and other

academic papers Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or thesis, theses. The part of academic written output that is not forma ...

are published regularly and presented to key officials including

regulators Regulator may refer to: Technology * Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in: ** Battery regulator ** Pressure regulator ** Diving regulator ** Voltage regulator * Regulator (sewer), a control de ...

.http://www.wnfc.info/proceedings/2007/presentations/dixonppt.pdf The WNTI public website provides information on nuclear transport including the nuclear fuel cycle, non-fuel cycle transport, regulations, packages and also includes an image library.

References

External links

World Nuclear Transport Institute

World Nuclear Association
{{Authority control International organisations based in London International nuclear energy organizations Nuclear organizations Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden