Greenpeace activists blocked the arrival of a cargo vessel at the Port of Dunkirk on the morning of March 2, protesting France’s continued nuclear trade ties with Russia. French police arrested four protesters after a four-hour standoff.
Around 20 members of Greenpeace France used kayaks and inflatable boats while others chained themselves to the lock gate to prevent the Panama-flagged general cargo vessel Mikhail Dudin from entering the port.
The 3,000 dwt vessel, built in 1996 and measuring 89.5 meters in length, had arrived from Saint Petersburg. Activists allege it was carrying enriched or natural uranium destined for French energy giant EDF and its subsidiaries.
The demonstration was timed ahead of the upcoming World Nuclear Summit in Paris on March 10. Greenpeace is demanding that France end imports of Russian uranium and terminate contracts with Rosatom.
According to French media reports, EDF signed a €600 million contract in 2018 with Tenex, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Under the agreement, France sends reprocessed uranium – waste from French nuclear power plants – to Russia. At a facility in Seversk, Siberia, the material is converted and re-enriched before being returned for reuse in French reactors.
Greenpeace claims the trade indirectly supports Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and argues that France is obstructing EU-level sanctions targeting Rosatom.
French news agency data cited by activists indicate France imported at least 112 tonnes of enriched uranium and related compounds from Russia in recent years, representing roughly a quarter of total uranium imports by volume. While volumes declined between 2022 and 2024, imports have reportedly stabilized over the past two years.
Greenpeace says it tracked at least 20 voyages by MV Mikhail Dudin between Russia and France since the war in Ukraine began, as well as 15 additional voyages by another cargo vessel, MV Baltiyskiy.
French police removed protesters and detained four individuals. Port access was restored and the vessel was permitted to dock.
The European Union has imposed broad sanctions on Russia since 2022, but the civilian nuclear sector has not been directly targeted. Russia currently operates what is described as the only facility capable of reprocessing certain types of French reprocessed uranium for reuse.
