HMS Turbulent in Gibraltar

While the ESG’s sights were firmly set on the bucket brigade event this week, it did not escape its notice that a nuclear powered submarine, HMS Turbulent, crept into Gibraltar’s port and has remained here over the weekend.

Does this signal the resumption of recreational visits by nuclear submarines to Gibraltar? The ESG renews its objection to the presence of such potentially dangerous machines in Gibraltar.

The ESG also has to take up the question of the exercise, Rocky Pigeon, and its much publicised “success” in rehearsing an emergency plan in the event of a nuclear incident. Both the arrival of the submarine and the exercise took place very close together and the ESG asks whether they are connected in any way? Further the ESG denounces any exercise that leaves the public as ignorant after completion as it was before. When are we going to see open and realistic planning measures to give us, the public, some confidence that these emergency plans are thought through with the reality factor built in. Indeed an information campaign by relevant authorities informing the community of the contingency planning in place is well overdue.

The ESG agrees wholeheartedly with Emergency Expert, Joe Bishop, who in a recent media interview, denounced the exercise as being totally inadequate in terms of meeting the needs of a threatened or endangered community as indeed the exercises are designed to do.

How many Tireless’s do we need before we decide that this is an issue worth addressing?