The Skalistyy Closed Administrative-Territorial Formation
is the location of the town of Gadzhiyevo (formerly Skalistyy) and two
naval bases, the Gadzhiyevo Naval Base, also known
as the Yagelnaya Naval Base, near the town of Gadzhiyevo on Sayda Bay,
and the Olenya Bay Naval Base, about 10km south near
Polyarnyy
on Olenya Bay. Both are operational naval bases; the base at Gadzhiyevo
houses a few decommissioned submarines and a facility for removal of spent
fuel.[1,2] Since 1990, reactor compartments have been moored to the
piers at Sayda Bay.[2]
Gadzhiyevo, Skalistyy Closed Administrative-Territorial
Formation, Murmansk Oblast
Skalistyy city was renamed Gadzhiyevo on 25 February
1999.[1] The base is also known as Yagelnaya Naval Base, Murmansk-130
and Yagelnyy village.[2] Gadzhiyevo began serving nuclear submarines in
1963, after seven years as a diesel submarine base. As of 1996, reports
indicated that Project 667 BDRM Delta IV-class SSBN submarines,
Project 667 BDR Delta III-class SSBN submarines, and possibly some
Project 971 Akula-class SSN submarines operated out of Gadzhiyevo.
As of 1999, seven Delta IVs operate out of Gadzhiyevo: K-51
Verkhoturye,
K-84, K-64, K-114, K-117 Bryansk, K-18 Kareliya and K-407
Novomoskovsk.[2,4,5,7]
The Delta III-class K-129
Borisoglebsk,
and the Akula-class K-461 Volk, K-328 Leopard, K-157
Tigr,
and K-317 Pantera are also based at Gadzhiyevo.[4,6,7]
Six inoperable submarines and a facility for removing spent fuel are also
located at the base. The PM-12, PM-50, PM-78, and PM-128 service
ships often stop at Gadzhiyevo's spent fuel facility.
Gadzhiyevo stores approximately 200 cubic meters
of liquid and 2,037 cubic meters of solid radioactive waste and possesses
floating liquid radioactive waste containers, which fall under the supervision
of Gadzhiyevo's own radiation safety service.[3]
6/18/2003: MOST NAVAL BASE DEATHS
CAUSED BY
HEART FAILURE OR SUICIDE
On 18 June 2003, IA Regnum reported that the chief causes for mortality at
the
Polyarnyy
and Gadzhiyevo
bases were heart failure and suicide. At Polyarnyy,
two servicemen committed suicide in the first half of 2003. In 2002, 14 servicemen
passed away, the majority from heart failure. Four of the 14, however,
committed suicide, while two died during criminal
activities. At Gadzhiyevo,
four cases of mortality were registered among servicemen under the age of 40 in
2002. Three of them died of heart failure and one committed suicide.
1/16/2003: RETURN OF
YEKATERINBURG TO NORTHERN FLEET EXPECTED BY MID-2003
Interfax reported on 16 January
2003 that repairs to the Delfin-class
[NATO name 'Delta-IV'] ballistic missile nuclear submarine (SSBN)
Yekaterinburg, undertaken at the
Zvezdochka
shipyard in Severodvinsk over the past four years,
have been completed.
Due to adverse weather conditions, however, it is anticipated that the
Yekaterinburg will remain in Severodvinsk until at least June 2003 at which
point it would return to Gadzhiyevo for ensuing re-entry into service.
9/13/2002: NORTHERN FLEET SUBMARINE FLOTILLA AT GADZHIYEVO DISBANDED,
SQUADRON FORMED
On 13 September 2002, Agentstvo voyennykh novostey reported that the 3rd
Strategic Submarine Flotilla based in Gadzhiyevo has been disbanded and transformed into the 12th Submarine
Squadron in accordance with a directive of the Naval Main Staff.[1] The new
squadron will retain the Project 667 Akula-class [NATO name 'Typhoon'] nuclear
submarines moored to the piers at Gadzhiyevo
and the Project 667 BDRM Delfin-class [NATO name 'Delta-4'] ballistic missile
nuclear submarines attached to the neighboring
Olenya Bay Naval Base.[1,2]
In addition to these military assets, the new 12th Submarine Squadron will
oversee the reactor compartments afloat in
Sayda Bay.[2] This is the third reduction of combat formations in the
Northern Fleet since December 2001, and completes the Russian Navy reform plan
for the Northern Fleet. In August 2002, the 1st Multipurpose Nuclear Submarine Flotilla in
Zapadnaya Litsa was transformed into the 11th Submarine Squadron, while in
December 2001 the
40th Diesel Submarine Division in Yekaterininskaya Bay, Polyarnyy, was disbanded.[1,3]
5/2000: OFFICERS SENTENCED FOR THEFT OF BATTERIES
FROM SUB TORPEDOES
In May 2000, a military court sentenced 12 men (2
officers, 3 warrant officers, and 7 sailors) for the theft of batteries
from submarine torpedoes. The thefts were discovered in February
1999. Each battery contains approximately 150kg of silver and costs about
1.2 million rubles (about $42,500 as of 31 May 2000).[1] The thieves
removed the batteries from the torpedoes, replaced them with bricks, and
then took the batteries apart in order to take them off the naval base
in sections.[2] The leadership of the guard forces was involved in
the theft. In November 1998, torpedo and missile unit Chief of Staff
Captain Vladimir Pospelov learned that thieves were earning a lot of money
from the sale of silver stolen from base torpedoes. As the captain
was $2,000 in debt, he decided to steal some himself, and invited the deputy
commander of the torpedo ammunition unit, Captain Oleg Yerostenko, and
a warrant officer to join him. The warrant officer involved two contract
sailors, who, when they went on watch, removed the batteries from specific
torpedoes indicated by the officers. This first theft netted $7,300.
The court found that the officers were not involved in subsequent thefts.
The sailors and warrant officers knew which torpedoes were likely to be
loaded onto submarines, and did not touch those weapons. Instead, they
went after the batteries of torpedoes that had exceeded their service lives.
Twenty Gadzhiyevo military personnel were eventually involved in the theft
of batteries from 22 torpedoes, worth 26.4 million rubles (about $936,000 as of 31 May
2000). Eight of the thieves are in hiding; a federal search has been
announced. The court's sentence reportedly shocked base submariners
by its severity: Pospelov got six years, Yerostenko five years, and
seven others from three years eight months to seven years in prison.
Only the warrant officer and two sailors were not sentenced to incarceration.
The men were also ordered to pay 9.7 million rubles (about $344,000 as
of 31 May 2000) in restitution.[1]
12/25/99: VERKHOTURYE
SSBN REPAIRS COMPLETED
On 25 December 1999 the Verkhoturye, a Delta-IV
class
SSN also known as K-51, was formally transferred from the
Zvezdochka
State Machine-Building Enterprise to the Northern Fleet. The
Verkhoturye
was sent to Zvezdochka in mid-1993; repairs were completed in 1998.
However, due to financing difficulties, the SSN's test runs were delayed.
It has undergone three test runs to the White Sea, and is scheduled to
head for Gadzhiyevo in May-June 2000.
9/99: CAPTAIN STEALS PALLADIUM
FROM AIR FILTER CARTRIDGES ON PANTERA
A naval officer and a civilian accomplice collaborated
to steal the powdered palladium metal contained in FK-P air filter cartridges
from the Akula-class SSN Pantera
docked at the Gadzhiyevo
Naval Base.[1,2] The two pillaged 59 cartridges, each containing
approximately 4kg of palladium worth about $450.[1] The officer,
a captain in charge of the submarine chemical service, removed the cartridges
from the submarine and transferred them to the civilian accomplice.
The civilian extracted the palladium powder and refilled the cartridges
with powdered coal, which is the same color. He returned the cartridges
to the captain, who reloaded them onto the submarine. The civilian
sold the palladium to a predetermined customer.[1,2] The theft was
detected after the captain was transferred to another submarine, and his
replacement noticed powder leaking from a cartridge. The captain received
$9,000 from the sale, and damages to the Northern Fleet are estimated at
2.2 million rubles (approximately $85,000 as of 11 September 1999).
Authorities arrested the captain, but the civilian escaped. Both
face up to 10 years in prison for grand larceny. Fortunately, the
captain's replacement detected the theft before the
Pantera went
to sea, averting a potentially hazardous situation for the crew.[1]
Northern Fleet Acting Prosecutor Captain Vladimir Mulov agreed that there
may have been serious consequences, but noted that all equipment on board
a submarine is checked prior to departure.[2]
6/5/99: PROSECUTOR RELEASES MORE DETAILS
ON 1998 SUB SHOOTING
For details, please see the 6/5/99
entry in the Northern Fleet General Developments
file.
4/23/99: TEN ARRESTED FOR
STEALING TORPEDO PARTS
A joint investigative team of the Gadzhiyevo military
prosecutor's office and the local department of the Federal Security Service
Directorate for the Northern Fleet has arrested 10 of 12 members of a well-organized
criminal ring of navy personnel including sailors, warrant officers, and
commanding officers at the Gadzhiyevo Naval Base
for stealing and selling the silver from silver-zinc torpedo batteries.
Each battery contains at least 120kg of high-quality silver. From
October 1998 through January 1999, sailors removed and sold the silver
from several torpedoes, resulting in large profits for those involved and
in damages to the Northern Fleet totaling about 1.5 million rubles (approximately
$60,000). The sailors have already repaid 40,000 rubles (approximately
$1,600) to the Northern Fleet.[1] They face up to 10 years in jail.[2]
According to a preliminary investigation, each participant in the group
carried out a specific role in the well-designed thefts. The commanding
officers knew the torpedo loading schedule and informed the sailors about
which torpedoes could be plundered. The officers prepared documentation
in order to keep the scheme from being discovered. The compulsory
service and contract sailors, who had access to the torpedo storage facility,
removed the batteries and carried them off the base. The warrant
officers traveled off the military installation and made the sale.
Gadzhiyevo is conducting mass torpedo inspections on nuclear submarines
and at the torpedo storage facility, even though, according to Gadzhiyevo
military prosecutor Major Vadim Zavalishin, no damaged torpedoes were loaded
onto submarines. The prosecutor's office reported that the number
of shortages and thefts in the Northern Fleet doubled between 1997 and
1998. The "disastrous state of affairs in the families of seamen,"
consistent wage delays of three to four months, and lack of funds for food
and travel out of the north during summer have all contributed to increased
criminal activity in the Northern Fleet.[1]
9/11/98: SAILOR KILLS EIGHT, COMMITS SUICIDE ON
VEPR
For details of this event, see the 9/11/98
entry in the Northern Fleet General Developments
file.
7/7/98: NOVOMOSKOVSK LAUNCHES A SATELLITE
For more information, see the 7/7/98
entry in the SSBN and
SLBM Force Developments file.
9/21/95: KOLENERGO FORCED TO RETURN POWER TO GADZHIYEVO
BASE
The Kola Peninsula power company, Kolenergo, shut
off power to the Gadzhiyevo Northern Fleet submarine base due to $4.4 million
in unpaid electrical bills. The cut-off caused the reactors of at least
one, and maybe as many as four, decommissioned submarine to overheat. Admiral
Oleg Yerofeyev, Commander of the Northern Fleet, finally forced the company
at gunpoint to restore power to the base, preventing a meltdown of the
submarines' reactors. Armed patrols were deployed to the Kola Peninsula
and Arkhangelsk regional power substations to avoid any additional cut-offs.
The village of Sayda Bay is in the Skalistyy Closed
Administrative Territorial Formation (ZATO) 2km from Gadzhiyevo.[1,2] The
bay itself is southwest of the Barents Sea entrance to Kola fjord.[3]
In 1990, the inhabitants of this former fishing village
were forced to vacate when Sayda Bay became a military area for storing
hulls and reactor compartments from nuclear submarines dismantled at Severodvinsk,
Nerpa, and Gadzhiyevo.[1] The bay itself is approximately 10 kilometers
long and two to three kilometers wide, with a 100-meter-wide mouth.[2]
The base includes three piers, the oldest of which could sink at any time,
according to experts at the base, and scarce funds prevent the construction
of new piers. As of April 1995, twelve nuclear submarine hulls and
twelve reactor compartments were docked at these piers. While the
spent fuel has been removed from these twelve reactor compartments, one
contains 20 metric tons of solid radioactive waste.[1]
In
1998, jurisdiction over the storage facility was transferred to the
Nerpa
Shipyard. As of February 2001, 43 nuclear submarine reactors were stored
afloat in special metal protective enclosures; two of the reactors had not yet been defueled.
Nerpa experts do not know the condition of the reactors or radiation levels
inside the containers because the military has not revealed this information.[3]
10/9/2003: GERMANY ALLOCATES €300
MILLION FOR DISMANTLEMENT AND REACTOR STORAGE ASSISTANCE
On 9 October 2003, Minatom and the
German Ministry of Economics and Labor
signed an agreement in Yekaterinburg on the provision of assistance for the safe disposal of
nuclear-powered submarines in Northwest Russia. Germany has committed €300
million to the project in 2003-08. These funds will be spent
refurbishing nuclear submarine dismantlement facilities at
Nerpa Shipyard, building an up-to-date
storage facility for submarine reactor compartments and a low- and intermediate-level
radioactive waste conditioning facility at Sayda
Bay, repairing a floating dock that will be used to tow reactor
compartments, providing a computer-assisted waste monitoring system for Sayda
Bay, and helping to clear the bay of shipwrecks. The German company Energiewerke Nord (EWN)
will act as general contractor, while the work will be carried out by Russian
companies. The
first step is to construct a 5.5 hectare land-based interim reactor storage
facility and other infrastructure at Sayda. The reactor storage facility is to
house reactor compartments from 120 dismantled submarines; to date, approximately 40 of these vessels have
already been scrapped. The reactor compartments will be held in storage for at least
70 years prior to further dismantlement. During the first stage of the project, the
submarines and three-compartment modules currently stored afloat in Sayda Bay
will be towed to Nerpa, where the reactor compartments will be cut out, given a
biological shield, and welded shut. Other protective measures will also be
undertaken to ensure that the reactor compartments do not threaten the environment. They will then be towed back to Sayda and stored at the new onshore facility.
10/8/2003: NERPA CONTRACT WITH
GERMANY DRAWN UP FOR SAYDA STORAGE SITE
On 8 October 2003, Nerpa Shipyard
Deputy Director for International and Commercial Affairs Oleg Yerin reported that a
group of German specialists investigating a possible contract between Germany and the Nerpa Shipyard for the construction at Sayda Bay of a regional storage site
for reactors removed from decommissioned nuclear submarines had completed their
on-site work. Negotiations had been underway for seven months and, as planned,
the October 8 meeting resulted in the text of the contract--which has not yet
been finalized--being drawn up.
5/16/2003: ADDITIONAL REACTOR
COMPARTMENTS TO BE STORED IN SAYDA BAY
On 16 May 2003, IA Regnum reported that four additional reactor compartments will be stored
in Sayda Bay. Three of the compartments are currently at the
Nerpa
Shipyard,
and another at the
Polyarninskiy
Shipyard.
One of the compartments at Nerpa is
the reactor bloc from the Kursk SSGN.
1/30/2003:
REACTOR DISASSEMBLY AND STORAGE AT SAYDA BAY
According to the director of Energiewerke Nord
GmbH (EWN), Dieter Rittscher, the company has been in negotiations with
Russian military officials regarding the disposition of at least 120 reactor
compartments in Sayda Bay by 2009. This would be undertaken within the framework of the
G8
Global Partnership. Rittscher expects a contract to be signed
by early summer.
According to him,
60 reactor compartments are floating in Sayda Bay.[1] However, the German
Foreign Ministry cites approximately 40 compartments,[2] and Minatom a total of 43
as of February 2001.[3] These would be lifted out of the water and the reactor
segments cut out. Then, this radioactive metal would be safely disposed of in a new land-based storage
facility. The necessary infrastructure, including dock, crane, disassembly, and
storage facilities will be built by 2005.[1,4]
Rittscher
claims that EWN has become one of the leading
experts in the dismantlement of highly
contaminated nuclear facilities. EWN specialists are also working at
Chornobyl.[1]
(For more information on German foreign assistance, see the
Russia: International Assistance
Programs: Germany file.)
9/13/2002: NORTHERN FLEET SUBMARINE FLOTILLA DISBANDED, SQUADRON FORMED
On 13 September 2002, Agentstvo voyennykh novostey reported that the 3rd
Strategic Submarine Flotilla based in
Gadzhiyevo has been disbanded and transformed into the 12th Submarine
Squadron in accordance with a directive of the Naval Main Staff.[1] The new
squadron will
oversee the reactor compartments currently afloat in Sayda Bay.[2]
5/16/2001: FUNDS APPROVED FOR LONG-TERM REACTOR
COMPARTMENT STORAGE
FACILITY
On 16 May 2001, Yamal Inform reported that the
Interdepartmental Commission on Siting Murmansk Oblast Production Facilities had approved approximately $70 million for construction of a
long-term reactor compartment storage
facility in Sayda Bay, despite protests by the local population and Skalistyy
Mayor Vladimir Musatyan's concerns regarding the project design.
2/2001: SAYDA BAY THEFT PROBLEMS
In February 2001, a guard at
the Sayda Bay storage facility told TV-Tsentr that
the facility's guards did not have any weapons and the facility did not
have a fence around it. Criminals looking for non-ferrous metal find it easy
to access the site. Thieves have even been detained inside
nuclear submarine reactor compartments, according to the article.
12/1/2000: UNITED KINGDOM CONFIRMS ITS FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR SAFETY IN MURMANSK OBLAST, DISCUSSES SAYDA BAY REACTOR
STORAGE PROJECT
For more information, please see the 12/1/2000
entry in the Foreign
Assistance Developments file.
3/23/2000: GADZHIYEVO NOT ALLOWED TO HOLD REFERENDUM
ON REACTOR STORAGE PLANS
On 23 March 2000 the Gadzhiyevo city court overruled
a city council proposal to hold a referendum on 26 March asking citizens
if they wanted a reactor storage facility to be built in Sayda Bay.
Murmansk Oblast officials noted that a referendum would have no legal effect
on the eventual decision regarding the location of the storage facility.
City Council Chairman Vladimir Musatyan said that the city council would
obey the court decision, then re-evaluate their position.
1/2000: GADZHIYEVO PROTESTS REACTOR COMPARTMENT
STORAGE PLANS, CALLS FOR REFERENDUM
In January 2000 the Gadzhiyevo City Council said
that it would hold a referendum on plans to build a new onshore storage
facility for reactor compartments in nearby Sayda Bay. As of January
2000 there were 25 compartments tied to piers in Sayda Bay, which is located
just 2km from the Gadzhiyevo city border.[1] An electricity substation,
Gadzhiyevo's water supply system, and the city cemetery are located in
Sayda Bay.[2] Northern Fleet officials said that the onshore site would
hold 77 reactor compartments; on-shore storage would be much safer than
leaving the compartments in the water. A commission, headed by Murmansk
Oblast Deputy Governor Valentin Luntsevich, has been established to look
into the matter. On 10 December 1999 Luntsevich met with representatives
from Gadzhiyevo and Snezhnogorsk, the Murmansk Oblast State Committee For
Environmental Protection, and the Northern Fleet, and issued a protocol
indicating that the project would not proceed until an environmental impact
study and social survey had been carried out by state experts.[3]
As of January 2000, oblast authorities were awaiting the results of the
environmental study as well as a detailed technical description of the
project.[1] The referendum is to be held on 26 March 2000, at the same
time as the presidential elections.[4]
11/24/99: SAYDA BAY SUGGESTED AS SITE FOR NEW
NORTHERN FLEET REACTOR COMPARTMENT STORAGE FACILITY
On 24 November 1999 representatives of Minatom, the
military, and closed cities met in Snezhnogorsk to discuss the siting of
a new facility to store reactors removed from Northern Fleet nuclear submarines.
One of the likely sites is Sayda Bay, although city council deputies from
nearby Gadzhiyevo protested that the area already has a number of nuclear
facilities.
Olenya (Olenya Bay is 3km-4km south of Sayda Bay
and the bay's entrance is 3km northwest of Polyarnyy)
Olenya Bay is approximately 6km in length and 1km
in width.[1] The Olenya Bay naval base has been the home of Delta III-
and Delta IV-class SSBNs, as well as nuclear-powered submarines
of the Yankee-class. A Malina-class submarine service
ship has also operated out of Olenya Bay.[2] As of 1999, Olenya Bay serves
three Project 1910 Uniform-class minisubmarines, the AS-15, AS-16,
and AS-17.[3]
9/13/2002: NORTHERN FLEET SUBMARINE FLOTILLA DISBANDED, SQUADRON FORMED
On 13 September 2002, Agentstvo voyennykh novostey reported that the 3rd
Strategic Submarine Flotilla based in
Gadzhiyevo has been disbanded and transformed into the 12th Submarine
Squadron in accordance with a directive of the Naval Main Staff.[1] The new
squadron will retain the Project 667 Akula-class [NATO name 'Typhoon'] nuclear
submarines moored to the piers at the
Yagelnaya Naval Base
and the Project 667 BDRM Delfin-class [NATO name 'Delta-4'] ballistic missile
nuclear submarines (SSBNs) attached to the Olenya Bay Naval Base.[1,2]
In addition to these military assets, the new squadron will
oversee the reactor compartments currently afloat in
Sayda Bay.[2]
Last updated 9 December 2003
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS CNS: Cristina.Chuen@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.
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