[ RadSafe ] Zvezdochka offers to scrap UK [nuclear]submarines

[Maury Siskel]

Zvezdochka offers to scrap UK submarines


2008-06-26
British nuclear submarine

British nuclear submarine

Russia’s biggest shipyard for repairing and scrapping of nuclear powered 
submarines offers to scrap 11 of Her Majesty the Queens laid-up 
submarines. If so, the transport of radioactive material along the coast 
of Northern Norway and Russia will be a fact.

RIA Novosti 
<http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2008/06/17/Russia_Defense_Watch_Crimea_fleet_stays/UPI-57571213741847/> 
reports that representatives from the Royal Navy recently held 
preparatory talks with officials from the Severodvinsk based shipyard 
Zvezdochka. Since the early 90-ties, Zvezdochka has been the main 
Russian shipyard for decommissioning of nuclear powered submarines of 
the Northern Fleet. More than 100 of the Russian Northern fleets 
submarines have so far been scrapped, many of them with financial 
support from other countries like Norway and the United Kingdom.

Earlier this week, the British ambassador to Norway and the British 
Consul General in St. Petersburg visited Murmansk and the shipyard 
Nerpa, located on the Barents Sea cost. Norway and United Kingdom are 
together financing the decommissioning of an old November-class attach 
submarine at the Nerpa shipyard.

At home, the British Royal Navy has at least 11 retired nuclear powered 
submarines laid-up, floating on sea with their highly radioactive 
reactors. Accoring to nuclear.ru 
<http://www.nuclear.ru/eng/press/other_news/2110009/>officials from the 
Zvezdochka yard say that they can do the scrapping of the British subs 
within the framework of the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation 
(AMEC). This military cooperation, mainly focusing on nuclear safety 
projects in the Russian north, was initiated by Norway in the 
mid-90ties, as a three lateral agreement between Norway, Russia and the 
United States. Great Britain joined the programme in 2003, and Norway 
ended its active participation in AMEC last year.

If the offer from Zvezdochka materializes the British subs will be put 
on a huge barge, or towed on sea, all the way up the coast of Norway 
around the Kola Peninsula to the shipyard located in Severodvinsk in the 
White Sea, not far from the city of Arkhangelsk. There the submarines 
(still radioactive) reactor compartment and two adjacent compartments 
will be sealed hermetically and remove them to a storage facility 
outside Russia, most likely back to Great Britain.

French officials have also started exploring the possibility of having 
old French nuclear powered submarines scrapped at Zvezdochka too.


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