Speaker
Description
The Argentine Nuclear Activity Law (Law No. 24,804) establishes that the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), Argentina´s regulatory body, shall have among its functions, attributions and obligations the issuance of regulations related to radiological and nuclear safety, physical protection and control of the use of nuclear material, the licensing and surveillance of nuclear facilities, international safeguards, and the transport of nuclear materials as far as radiological and nuclear safety and physical protection are concerned. The ARN is responsible for establishing regulations, in harmony with the international parameters; primarily related to the international transport by air, land or water of nuclear materials, materials of interest to the ARN, radioactive sources, and systems, components and equipment for nuclear activity.
In this regard, the National Regulatory Framework issued by the ARN includes a regulation on the transport of nuclear material and two regulations on nuclear security. Regarding nuclear security, one of the regulations addresses the physical protection of nuclear materials and other materials of interest to the ARN, and the other addresses the security of radioactive sources. Both regulations include provisions for physical protection during transport.
The ARN issued Regulation AR 10.16.1, Transport of Nuclear Materials, on September 18th, 2025, which fully adopts the provisions of the IAEA Regulation SSR-6 Rev. 1 for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, 2018 Edition. Additionally, on September 26th, 2025, the ARN issued, for public consultation, the draft update of regulation AR 10.13.1, Revision 2, entitled Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Facilities, which establishes the requirements for establishing a physical protection system during transport. Regarding the update of Regulation AR 10.13.2 on Security of Sealed Sources, the revision process is already underway.
The presentation will focus primarily on the updated system for physical protection during transport, in accordance with the Convention of Physical Protection and its Amendment. In particular, according to Fundamental Principle B of the Amendment, concerning responsibilities during international transport, any State Physical Protection Regime associated with a Physical Protection System must include the responsibilities of all stakeholders, including transit States, for maintaining safety, security, and adequate means of transport, as well as the integrity of the consignment, in order to ensure that responsibility for planning and response capabilities is defined and fulfilled. Furthermore, the communication process plays an important and crucial role during transport.
The development and maintenance of a shared global physical protection system for transport in countries with nuclear activity boosts the international nuclear industry and ensures the exchange not only of nuclear materials and radioactive sources, but also of equipment, systems, components, and facilities. At the international level, achieving consistent quality in items transferred to the nuclear industry is an asset that must be fundamentally supported by a robust global supply chain verification system, integrated into a physical protection system for transport.
The aforementioned aspects will be addressed in the oral presentation, taking into account current national regulations and international safety standards published by the IAEA. The advantages of developing a Global Supply Chain System, along with a Physical Protection System for Transport, will be analysed to raise awareness and get support among Member States for this goal, promoted by the IAEA.
