World

Russia Resumes Efforts To Raise Sub

March 22, 2001 / 1:01 PM EST / AP

Divers on Friday resumed the operation to raise the Russian Kursk nuclear submarine from the floor of the Barents Sea after a halt caused by storms in the area, officials said.

The 18,000-ton vessel, which sank during naval exercises Aug. 12 last year, killing the entire 118-man crew, is to be brought to the surface Sept. 15 by steel cables connected to 26 computer-controlled hydraulic lifting devices, anchored to a giant barge.

Divers went down to the sunken Kursk Friday evening as weather conditions in the area resumed, and were working in the area of the submarine's 3rd and 4th section, said Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo.

On Thursday, winds of up to 72 kph (45 mph) and high waves rocked the Norwegian diving support ship Mayo, which serves as a base for the salvage operation, and Vice Adm. Mikhail Motsak decided to suspend work until the situation was calmer.

The harsh weather in the region north of the arctic port of Murmansk was one of many risks that critics cited in opposing the costly lifting operation.

An international team of divers has so far made 16 of 26 holes in the Kursk's double hull. Once that is completed, they will prepare to sever the submarine's mangled fore section, which is to be left behind when the Kursk is lifted — for fear it could contain unexploded torpedoes.

After the Kursk's bow is sawed off, the divers will attach steel cables. Towing the submarine to harbor is expected to take up to two weeks, depending on the weather.

Russian officials, who hope a close look at the submarine will shed light on the cause of the disaster and comfort family members of the victims, said they planned to complete the operation on schedule despite the weather hazards.

“The deadline for the operation will not change,” Ilya Klebanov, a deputy prime minister, was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Interfax.

President of the Dutch company Mammoet, which is preparing to lift the Kursk with another Dutch firm, Smit International, under a contract with the Russian government, said 16 Russian divers work on the Mayo ship and “top priority will be given to security measures,” according to ITAR-Tass.

Seumeren said the giant barge will sail out from Rotterdam on Aug. 27-28 to the place of the Kursk disaster with equipment to raise the submarine and the Carrier vessel with a unit to cut the first section of the Kursk was ready to leave the Norwegian port of Kirkenes “as soon as weather permits.”

Russian officials also have said the sub's two nuclear reactors have been safely shut down and have not leaked any radiation, but that the vessel should be lifted to avoid any potential danger to the area's rich fishing grounds.

The Atomic Energy Ministry says the main contamination threat in Russia is from decommissioned nuclear submarines that have not been properly disposed because of a lack of funds.

Viktor Akhunov, head of the ministry's ecological and decommissioning deparment, told ITAR-Tass that 189 nuclear submarines have been decommissioned as of the beginning of this year and 104 of them still have nuclear fuel onboard.