To return to the main
Pacific Fleet entry, see the Pacific Fleet
file.
To return to the
naval decommissioning and dismantlement section, see the
Decommissioning and Dismantlement Overview.
11/21/2002: NUCLEAR SUBMARINES CATCH FIRE
On 21 November 2002, a decommissioned nuclear-powered submarine in Pavlovsk
Bay caught fire. For more information, see the
11/21/2002 entry in the
Pavlovsk file. This is the second submarine
fire in two weeks. For information on an earlier fire at Zvezda Shipyard,
see the 11/12/2002 entry in the
Bolshoy Kamen file.
4/25/2002: PACIFIC FLEET TO
RECEIVE A FLOATING DOCK FOR ITS NUCLEAR SUBMARINE DISMANTLEMENT PROGRAM
On 25 April 2002, a floating dock built by the
Pallada
Shipyard (Kherson, Ukraine) was transferred to the Russian Navy in
Sevastopol. The dock has passed all trials and is ready for service in the Russian
Pacific Fleet, where it will be used
for nuclear submarine dismantlement.
9/18/2001: ZVEZDA DEFUELS DECOMMISSIONED SUBMARINES
The 18 September 2001
issue of Kommersant-Daily reported that in 2000, five nuclear submarines
had been defueled at Zvezda
shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen. In the first half of 2001,
the shipyard defueled three more submarines.
9/4/2000: JAPAN TO CONTINUE FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FOR DEALING WITH NUCLEAR PROBLEMS IN RUSSIAN FAR EAST
For more information, please see the 9/4/2000
entry in the Foreign
Assistance Developments file.
11/97: KAMCHATKA FACES DIFFICULTIES WITH DISMANTLEMENT
Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Nikolay Mikhaylov,
beginning in Kamchatka, led a group of specialists examining the situation
in the Far Eastern Military District and Pacific Fleet defense industry
enterprises and installations. Kamchatka Oblast Governor Vladimir Biryukov
expressed concern that the healthiest, most active, and most highly qualified
people are leaving the area. Naval seamen and ground forces stationed
in Kamchatka face several problems. Although some of these issues were
being addressed through training programs, concerns over equipment reaching
the end of its service life remain. One of the most serious problems
that Kamchtaka faces is the 16 nuclear submarines awaiting dismantlement
there. The Gornyak Shipyard in Kamchatka does not have the equipment needed
to dismantle the submarines, including a mechanical arm for removing nuclear
reactors. Although the Zvezda Shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen has more
modern equipment and is capable of dismantling the Kamchatka submarines,
the cost of towing them to Zvezda and strikes over wage arrears at Zvezda
make it an unlikely option.
12/10/94: NAVY TO DECOMMISSION TWO NUCLEAR SHIPS
An unnamed, high-ranking Russian Pacific Fleet officer
said that, as a result of a decision made by the Russian Security Council,
the navy will decommission two nuclear-powered ships: the Ural,
a 34,640 ton Kapusta-class communications ship, and the Admiral
Lazarev (formerly Frunze), a 24,300 ton Kirov-class missile
cruiser. Although the ships, which are currently located in Strelok
Bay in Primorskiy Kray, might be decommissioned as early as next year,
Russia has no facilities in the region capable of dismantling the ships'
reactors. The Russian Navy has already taken the nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier Minsk, formerly with the Pacific Fleet, out of
service.
Page last updated 10 December 2002
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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