To return to the main
Northern Fleet entry, see the Northern Fleet
file.
The town of Polyarnyy, a designated closed city or closed administrative-territorial
formation (ZATO),[1] lies on the east and northeast side of Pala Bay[2] and the
western side of Murmansk Bay. It has a population of
just under 30,000.[5] In 1935, Russia established its first naval yard at Polyarnyy,
which serviced naval vessels during World War II. After World War
II, the Navy expanded the facility. The shipyard became Shkval Navy
Yard No. 10 in August 1950, and began to service nuclear-powered submarines
by the end of the decade.[3] It is now known as the Polyarninskiy
Shipyard.[4] As of August 2002,
the shipyard employed about 3,000 people.[5]
Sources: [1] Geir Honneland and Anne-Kristin Jorgensen, "Cross-Border
Perspectives on a North Russian Gateway," Post-Soviet Geography and
Economics, Vol. 40, No. 1, 1999, pp. 44-61. [2] Joshua Handler, "The Russian Naval Nuclear Complex;"
in The Nuclear Legacy of the Former Soviet Union: Implications for Security
and Ecology, Gerd Busmann, Oliver Meier, and Otfried Nassauer, eds.,
BITS Research Report 97.1, November 1997, p. 25. [3] Thomas Nilsen, Igor Kudrik, and Alexandr Nikitin,
"Naval yards," The Russian Northern Fleet, Bellona Foundation, http://www.bellona.no/e/russia/nfl/nfl5.htm.
{Updated 7/26/99 JET} [4] Yuriy Banko, "Konkurentov potesnili, no problemy
ostalis," Murmanskiy vestnik, 20 January 1998, p. 1; in VPK i
Biznes, 30 January 1998; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru.
{Updated 5/22/2001 CC}
[5] Igor Kudrik, "Nuclear Submarine Emergency In Floating Dock During
Decommissioning," Bellona Web Site,
http://www.bellona.no, 7
August 2002. {Updated
4/18/2003 AV}
PALA BAY SUBMARINE REPAIR FACILITY (PALA GUBA)
LOCATION: Polyarnyy
ACTIVITIES: Approximately 4 kilometers long, Pala Bay juts southwest and lies southeast
of Olenya Bay. It has a very narrow entrance, only 500 meters wide,
which is partially blocked by a small island, making the navigational passage
only 200 to 300 meters.[1] The submarine repair facility reportedly
includes two covered floating dry docks, and has docked and worked on Kefal I
and II [NATO Names: 'Victor I' and 'Victor II'] SSNs, Kit [NATO Name:
'November'] SSNs, and Barrakuda [NATO Name: 'Sierra'] SSNs.[2]
The Amur and Vala class radioactive waste transport ships
have been seen at the Pala Bay repair facility, and Russian sources note
that Pala Bay also contains a radioactive waste storage facility on the
eastern side of the Bay.[2]
Sources: [1] Joshua Handler, "The Russian Naval Nuclear Complex;"
in The Nuclear Legacy of the Former Soviet Union: Implications for Security
and Ecology, Gerd Busmann, Oliver Meier, and Otfried Nassauer, eds.,
BITS Research Report 97.1, November 1997, p. 25. [2] Joshua Handler, "The Northern Fleet's Nuclear Submarine
Bases," Jane's Intelligence Review, December 1993, pp. 551-556.
POLYARNINSKIY SHIPYARD
LOCATION: Near the the town of Polyarnyy, Murmansk oblast
SUBORDINATION: Ministry of Defense
[Igor Kudrik, "Naval repair yards in the north-west of Russia,"
Current
Status online edition, http://www.bellona.no/e/, 30 March 1998.] {Entered
10/12/99 TR} ADMINISTRATION: Yuriy Kharchenko
[Yuriy Banko, "Konkurentov potesnili, no problemi ostalis,"
Murmanskiy
vestnik, 20 January 1998; in East European Press Service, online edition,
http://www.securities.com/cgi-bin/split/94dec/Data/ RU/News/WPS/MB/wps980130.html?wps20.] ACTIVITIES: Also known as Shipyard No. 10, and Shkval, Polyarninskiy Shipyard's activities have included nuclear
submarine repairs since the late 1950s. In 1970, the Russian Navy
expanded the shipyard, which, as of Spring 1996, included two covered floating
docks and covered a surface area of 41,330 square meters. Polyarninskiy repaired approximately 250-first generation nuclear submarines from 1962
to 1993, and is Murmansk Oblast's only shipyard capable of servicing second
and third generation submarines. In March 1996, the shipyard was
servicing one nuclear submarine, a type 326 M spent fuel transport ship,
and the tanker Amur.[1] In addition, seven nuclear submarines,
four of which had been decommissioned and two of which (Victor I
class) were still operational, were docked at Polyarninskiy. Money for repairs
of the operational Kefal I [NATO Name: 'Victor I'] class submarines is lacking, and they
will probably be decommissioned. Polyarninskiy has participated in minimal
dismantlement operations, but funding for grander-scale dismantlement is
unavailable. Although refueling equipment is available at Polyarninskiy,
the future of refueling activities at Polyarninskiy is also uncertain.[1]
Polyarninskiy operates a naval waste storage facility, and two ships store and
transport radioactive waste from the yard: the Pinega class Amur
and
the Vala class TNT-12.[2]
In 1994, Polyarninskiy received a damaged Project 675 [NATO Name: Echo II] class nuclear submarine
from Ara Bay, as the facility there did not possess the necessary capabilities
to keep the submarine afloat. A chain reaction occurred in one of
the two reactors on the Echo II, damaging the reactor's fuel rods and causing
high levels of radiation in the reactor compartment. The high radiation
levels have delayed the removal of the fuel from the undamaged reactor.[1] Sources: [1] Thomas Nilsen, Igor Kudrik, and Alexandr Nikitin, "Naval
yards," The Russian Northern Fleet, Bellona Foundation, online edition,
http://www.bellona.no/e/russia/nfl/nfl5.htm. [2] "Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic: An Analysis of Arctic
and Other Regional Impacts From Soviet Nuclear Contamination," OTA-ENV-623,
Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, September 1995, pp. 121,
130.
POLYARNINSKIY DEVELOPMENTS:
4/28/2003: WAGE ARREARS WILL NOT
BE PAID UNTIL END OF YEAR According to Polyarninskiy Shipyard Director Captain A. Kolner, arrears for
two months' pay will not be made up until the end of 2003. While the shipyard will
be operating at full capacity with Northern Fleet orders, funding is
insufficient to pay wage arrears that have accumulated from previous years. [E. Izosimov, "Zadolzhennost po zarplate
gradoobrazuyushchem predpriyatii Polyarnogo sokhranitsya do kontsa goda,"
Severnaya subbotnaya gazeta, 28 April 2003; in IA Regnum, 28 April 2003; in
Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru] {Entered 7/21/2003 RS}
4/28/2003: CLOSED CITY ENTRY REGULATIONS EASED New regulations on the entry of Russian citizens into the closed territory
of Polyarnyy have come into force. The entrance regulations drafted by city
authorities and approved by military commanders and the local FSB and Interior
Ministry offices, simplify entry for certain government representatives.
Checkpoints are now equipped with lists of 24 government bodies, the employees
of which can pass through checkpoints with a certificate and an order issued by
the commander. Private companies continue to have to obtain entry permission
from a special department of the Northern Fleet's Kola Flotilla. Russian
citizens can receive an access pass valid for up to three months; earlier plans
had called for one-year passes. Visitors planning to stay longer than 10 days
have to register with the passport and visa authorities and pay for municipal
services. Those who do not comply are put on a "black list" and denied access.
[E. Kublikova, "Vstupila v deystviye novaya instruktsiya, uproshchayushchaya
poryadok vezda v ZATO Polyarnyy organizatsiy i lits s rossiyskim grazhdanstvom,"
Severnaya subbotnaya gazeta, 21 April 2003; in IA Regnum, 28 April 2003;
in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru] {Entered 7/21/2003 RS}
8/8/2002: ACCIDENT ON NUCLEAR SUBMARINE
UNDERGOING DEFUELING REPORTED On 8 August 2002, Trud-7 reported an accident on the Echo 2-class
nuclear submarine K-104 on June 29, 2002. While
the submarine was undergoing defueling in a floating dock at Polyarninskiy the hull suddenly
tipped to port and its hull hit the bottom of the dock. No one
was injured, and radiation levels were reported to be within the norm. The
newspaper pointed out that the accident was kept secret for more than a month and
was made public only on 6 August 2002. The shipyard administration
did not view the accident as dangerous as the vessel had already been defueled.
According to Aleksandr Smyshlyayev, deputy head of the Polyarninskiy civil
defense and emergency directorate, there were no flammable substances on board,
although
other sources suggested up to 15 tons
of petroleum, oil, and lubricants may have been on vessel.[1,2,3]
According to a commission
set up to investigate the accident, workers might have made a mistake while
assembling the keel blocks. The floating dock remained stable. Its
sideboards were patched up and new keel holders installed. Dismantlement of the
tilted submarine continued. This made the operation non-standard.[3] Sources:
[1] Svetlana Petrova, "Atomnaya lodka poteryala ravnovesiye," Trud-7, 8
August 2002; in Integrum Techno,
www.integrum.ru.
[2] TVS television, 7 August 2002; in "Minor accident occurs
during repair of disused Russian nuclear submarine," FBIS Document CEP20020808000014
[3] Igor Kudrik, "Nuclear Submarine Emergency In Floating Dock During
Decommissioning," 7 August 2002,
http://www.bellona.no. {Entered
4/11/2003 AV}
8/7/2002: POLYARNINSKIY'S TROUBLES On 7 August 2002, Bellona
reported that Polyarninskiy had failed to obtain work dismantling submarines.
Meanwhile, the shipyard has had problems with the condition of submarines stored
at the facility, and spent fuel shipped to
Mayak. According to the
commander at Sayda Bay, where many Northern
Fleet submarines and submarine compartments are stored, the reactor compartments and partially
dismantled submarines from Polyarninskiy usually are in poor condition with
gamma radiation emissions. In 2002, Polyarninskiy was the source of
improperly handled spent fuel that was shipped to Mayak. For further information
on the spent fuel incident, see the
20010710 entry in
the NIS Nuclear Trafficking database. [Igor Kudrik, "Nuclear Submarine Emergency In Floating Dock During
Decommissioning," 7 August 2002,
http://www.bellona.no.] {Entered
4/18/2003 AV}
12/21/2001: IMANDRA DEFUELS
VICTOR III SUBMARINE AT POLYARNINSKIY On 21 December 2001, Bellona
reported that the
Imandra
service ship
had defuelled the
Victor III-class submarine K-254 at the Polyarninskiy Shipyard
in November. ["Nuclear
Powered Icebreakers. Imandra collided with laid-up submarine," Bellona:
Nuclear Chronicle from Russia,
http://www.bellona.no, 21 December 2001.] {Entered 3/21/2003 AV}
3/27/2001: SOLID RADIOACTIVE WASTE
COMPACTING AND PROCESSING FACILITY START UP PLANNED IN 2001
According to a 27 March 2001 article in Virtualnyy Peterburg, plans
call for putting a facility for compacting and processing solid radioactive waste stored
on the Kola Peninsula into operation in 2001. However,
financing of the $91 million project has been delayed. ["Murmanskaya
oblast: ot atomnykh otkhodov do nikelya," Virtualnyy Peterburg, 27 March
2001; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.com.] {Entered 4/9/2003 AV}
3/22/2001: POLYARNINSKIY TO RECEIVE NEW RADIATION
MONITORING SYSTEM The United States, Norway, and Russia plan to install a new remote
radiation monitoring system at Polyarninskiy
Shipyard. The project is being implemented within the framework of the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation
(AMEC)
Program. The monitoring system will use terrestrial and underwater smart
sensors to measure radiation, radio-modems for data transmission, and a computerized
display system for constant monitoring and historical comparisons. It will
cost less than $1 million. Installation should be complete by summer 2001 and
testing is planned for spring or summer 2002. Preliminary approval had been
given to place a similar system at the Severomorsk
Naval Base. More information on the project is available on the Russian Academy of Sciences Nuclear Safety Institute
Web Site, http://www.ibrae.ac.ru/~lgis/amec/eng/index.htm.
["US, Norway and Russia Develop Sub Base
Monitoring System," Nuclear Waste News, Vol. 21, No. 12, 22 March
2001.] {Entered 5/15/2001 EF}
12/1/2000: UNITED KINGDOM CONFIRMS ITS FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR SAFETY IN MURMANSK OBLAST, DISCUSSES SOLID RADWASTE
PROCESSING AT POLYARNYY For more information, please see the 12/1/2000
entry in the Foreign
Assistance Developments file.
3/20/2000: SPENT FUEL STORAGE
FACILITY MAY BE BUILT AT POLYARNINSKIY The interdepartmental coordinating body Nuklid,
a division of the Ministry of Atomic
Energy established to handle nuclear waste safety projects, proposed
Polyarninskiy Shipyard as a possible temporary spent fuel storage location.
The shipyard has expressed interest in taking part in nuclear submarine
dismantlement. Polyarninskiy has the equipment to unload spent nuclear fuel
from submarine reactors and houses one of the Northern Fleet's 326M spent
nuclear fuel storage barges. Minatom is also considering Nerpa Shipyard
and Gremikha Naval Base as nuclear
fuel storage sites; it is unlikely that storage platforms will be established at
all three locations. [For more information on temporary storage
developments, see the 12/99
entry in the Decommissioning and
Dismantlement Developments section.]
[Thomas Nilsen, "Mayak Spent Fuel Storage
Moves to Kola," Nuclear Chronicle from Russia online edition,
http://www.bellona.no/imaker,
20 March 2000.] {Entered 8/1/00 YF} 12/21/95: UNPAID WAGES RESULT IN BLOCKADE BY WORKERS Military officials promised the delivery of overdue wages to shipyard workers.
The workers had blockaded a nuclear submarine that they had repaired protesting
their lack of pay since August 1995. The Northern Fleet had threatened
to cut off heat to the city of 30,000 and press charges against the workers.
["In Russia," Post-Soviet Nuclear and Defense Monitor,
11 January 1996, p. 12.]
Last updated 5 August 2003
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS
CNS: cristina.chuen@miis.edu
To return to the main
Northern Fleet entry, see the 
