BELGIUM/AT SEA: INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM UNVEIL MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO RAISE RUSSIA'S KURSK NUCLEAR SUBMARINE FROM ITS ARCTIC SEABED.

Record ID: 648582

  • Title: BELGIUM/AT SEA: INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM UNVEIL MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO RAISE RUSSIA'S KURSK NUCLEAR SUBMARINE FROM ITS ARCTIC SEABED.
  • Date: 12th January 2001
  • Summary: BARENTS SEA, ARCTIC (FILE) (NO RESTRICTIONS) 1. GV: VARIOUS OF THE KURSK ON THE SEA BED (3 SHOTS) 0.19 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 12, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 2. GV/PAN: VARIOUS OF MEDIA CONFERENCE BY THE KURSK FOUNDATION 0.26 3. CU: (SOUNBITE) (English) WILLEM VAN EEKELEN, C0-CHAIRMAN OF THE KURSK FOUNDATION SAYING: "The terrible accident which has caused the feeling of commiseration, sympathy and solidarity all through the world and still about more than a hundred bodies are inside the Kursk wreck, so that, in itself, could already be a reason for an international effort of support. Secondly, as Mr Bessmertnykh said, the environmental risks. There is, I think, hopefully, no immediate risk this year but it is clear that over time the risk increases especially because of corrosion. Salt water, in an area where there is a fairly strong current, will in time affect the two nuclear reactors which are inside the Kursk." 1.18 BARENTS SEA, ARCTIC (FILE) (NO RESTRICTIONS) 4. MV/CU: MORE OF KURSK (3 SHOTS) 1.32 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 12, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 5. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) VAN EEKELEN SAYING: "It could be something like a BSE scare, if really, fish in a large area is infected with radioactive material. It is not so much radioactivity that worries us but, over time, it is the spread of minute particles of radioactive material which could be inside fish and then, well, you could imagine what would happen to the fisheries industry." 2.04 6. GV/PAN: MEDIA CONFERENCE 2.13 7. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ADMIRAL MIKHAIL BARSKOV, DEPUTY COMMANDER OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY SAYING: "Of course there is a group of risks existing by the lifting operations. So the first group of risks is connected to the armaments and the second group of risks is connected to the reactor. By the development of the technical design of the operation which was just presented to you, the navy was very attentive of studying all these aspects so we can come to a conclusion that this method of operation is such that we can respect all necessary requirements concerning risks." 3.25 8. ANIMATION SHOWING PROPOSED LIFTING OPERATION 3.49 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / BARENTS SEA
  • City:
  • Country: Belgium AT SEA
  • Reuters ID: LVACE6P3DDP060AH407DAJT950VZ
  • Story Text: An international consortium on Friday unveiled a
    US$70 million plan to raise Russia's Kursk nuclear submarine
    from the Arctic seabed and tow it into port under a giant
    barge to prevent an environmental disaster.



    The Brussels-based Kursk Foundation said it hoped to
    conduct the operation this summer while weather conditions
    were relatively mild, but said this hinged on the ability of
    potential donors like the European Union to come up with cash.

    The Kursk plunged to the bottom of the Barents Sea last
    August, killing all 118 sailors on board, after explosions
    ripped a hole in its hull.

    The projects co-chairman, former Dutch defence minister
    Willem van Eekelen, told a news conference in Brussels also
    attended by salvage experts that failure to act swiftly could
    increase the danger of radioactive contamination of marine
    life.

    "It is clear that over time the risk increases especially
    because of corrosion. Salt water, in an area where there is a
    fairly strong current, will in time affect the two nuclear
    reactors which are inside the Kursk." he said.

    Van Eekelen added that there was no evidence of any
    immediate threat to the local environment.

    With the help of animated diagrams, the Fund's experts
    showed how some 20 holes would be cut into the Kursks outer
    hull and cables attached to a huge crane clamped onto the
    submarine, which lies about 100 metres below the sea surface.

    The Kursk, minus its damaged bow, would then be winched up
    to just below the barge and transported under escort, with the
    help of tugs, to the northern Russian port of Murmansk.

    Mikhail Barskov, deputy commander of the Russian navy,
    told reporters Moscow was satisfied that the operation could
    be safely carried out despite the presence of two nuclear
    reactors and some 22 cruise missiles on board the vessel.

    "Of course there is a group of risks existing by the
    lifting operations. So the first group of risks is connected
    to the armaments and the second group of risks is connected to
    the reactor," he said, but added, "the navy was very attentive
    of studying all these aspects so we can come to a conclusion
    that this method of operation is such that we can respect all
    necessary requirements concerning risks."
    He also brushed aside suggestions that Russia might be
    concerned about the Kursk's military secrets falling into the
    hands of its Western partners saying that Russia had already
    conducted two joint operations with Western colleagues around
    the Kursk, referring to an initial, unsuccessful bid to rescue
    the sailors and a later salvage mission which removed 12
    bodies from the submarine.

    Barskov said that the tragedy had left much to reconsider
    regarding the principles of international cooperation.

    The experts announced that the foundation had handed its
    feasibility study on raising the Kursk to the European
    Commission in Brussels on Thursday (January 11).

    Van Eekelen, whose government funded the study, said the
    issue of financing the operation would be discussed at a
    planned Russia-European Union summit in Moscow next week.

    The consortium includes U.S. oil firm Halliburton, Dutch
    firms Smit International and Heerema and the Russian firm
    Rubin.


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