The head of the Northern Fleet Vyacheslav Popov said that no deadlines have been set for the docking of Kursk. “The complicated technical solutions are to be implemented, but we are no longer dependent on the weather conditions as we were during the lifting and transportation of Kursk. The weather influences the operation, but it is not a decisive factor. It is a different situation now, compared to when the submarine was still on the seabed, at which point a strong wind easily could make the situation critical and dangerous. At present, the bad weather can just prolong the time of the docking, but will not influence the result of the operation. So, much attention has been paid to the safety of the works at this final stage, that we will not allow any rush” the admiral said.

Now Russian and foreign specialists are preparing for the docking. Both of the pontoons are being fastened to the barge Giant-4.

Rear-Admiral Mikhail Barskov said that the Russian side made a schedule stipulating the preparation and docking of the pontoons to no more than 5 days.

The Mammoet representatives agreed, but insisted that all the works should be carried out in daylight. The pontoons can maximum be immersed 15 meters down, then they will be fastened to the barge and the water pumped out.

The radiation monitoring will take place on all stages of the operation in order to follow all safety measures.