News
Publish date: April 18, 1997
Written by: Igor Kudrik
News
In Severodvinsk the loading operation is to be conducted by service boat PM-63 (Malina class) which is assigned to Severodvinsk yards. This boat was inspected by the Northern Fleet’s technical control authorities in the beginning of April. Out of 67 checked loading mechanisms onboard, only 4 were functioning properly. The inspection concluded that the boat requires overhaul repairment.
Moreover, in the morning on April 15, fire broke out at a warehouse at Belomorskay Naval base in Severodvinsk. The fire lasted into the late night. The area of Belomorskaya Naval base is used for spent fuel loading operations. There is no information on the level of damage brought by the fire.
Currently there are two locations in the Northwest Russia wherefrom spent fuel is shipped down to Mayak for reprocessing. One is located in Severodvinsk, while the other one is situated in the eastern part of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula, on the territory of "Atomflot", base of the nuclear-powered ice-breaker fleet. The facilities at "Atomflot" are believed to be safer and more reliable, as spent fuel loading operations in Severodvinsk are conducted by only partly operational service boats.
An accident aboard numerous Volgoneft oil tankers in the Kerch in mid December clearly show what can happen to aged ships when they are operated in bad weather—and when economic and military objectives are prioritized over the lives of crews and environmental safety.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.