Behind schedule and short of fund-raising goals for the salvage of the nuclear-propelled submarine Kursk, the Russian government has changed plans for the historic lift effort. The previous plan, developed by the multinational Kursk Foundation and centered on the firm of Brown & Root Services (Halliburton), has been scrapped.
Rear Admiral Mikhail Motsak, chief of staff of the Russian Northern Fleet, assigned as head of the Kursk salvage operation, held a press conference in Murmansk on 27 July. He declared that work was under way, with divers having begun to drill holes in the submarine's outer hull on 21 July. These holes will permit 26 lift cables to be attached to the inner (pressure) hull's stiffeners.
According to Admiral Motsak, "The work proceeds slowly, not so smoothly like it was on paper." The drilling equipment previously had not been tested underwater. "Under the water everything is more difficult," he observed.
The cables will be attached to a Dutch-built, heavy-lift pontoon, which is to raise the Kursk to a shallow depth so that the submarine can be moved to shallow water, beached, and then fully floated. Before the lift begins, the forward (torpedo) compartment of the Kursk will be cut away and left on the ocean floor, a depth of some 350 feet.
Once salvaged, the Kursk will be brought into a drydock at Roslyakovo, just outside of Murmansk. There each compartment will be opened and surveyed, remains of crewmen removed, cruise missiles removed, and finally, all openings sealed. The submarine then will be floated and towed to the Nerpa shipyard, also near Murmansk, for defueling of her two reactors and scrapping.
The salvage work is being undertaken by the Dutch firm The Mammoet. Brown & Root withdrew when it felt that the Kursk salvage could not be accomplished within safety parameters in 2001, and that the cost would exceed the $70 million estimated by the Kursk Foundation. The Mammoet has been reported to be undertaking the effort at significantly lower costs than were estimated.
The late start of the current salvage effort means the lift by the Giant will occur between 10 and 20 September. It then will take several days to bring the Kursk into the dry-dock at Roslyakovo. However, the weather normally becomes a difficulty in the Barents about mid-September. A few days after the submarine was lost on 12 August 2000 the Barents Sea became so rough that attempts at rescue had to be delayed.
The real reason President Vladimir Putin is pursuing the salvage is unclear. Russian officials have put forth three reasons over the past few months: (1) to recover the remains of 106 men on board, (2) fear of environmental pollution from the two reactors (no nuclear weapons were on board), and (3) to determine the cause of the disaster.
Obviously few if any bodies will be found in the forward portion of the submarine, which was wrecked by blasts and probably fire and has been open to the sea for a year. Of the score of men in the after section of the submarine who survived for a brief period, 12 bodies were recovered by divers last November. And, reportedly, most kin of those lost wish the bodies to remain in the hull on the ocean floor.
With respect to pollution, the reactors appear to have shut down correctly and no abnormal radiation has been detected. Indeed, some observers fear that if the salvage effort is botched the submarine may break open, possibly rupturing the reactor shielding. In addition, if the reactors are damaged, their defueling at Nerpa could be difficult and dangerous.
Finally, by cutting off the forward section and leaving it on the ocean floor, any evidence related to the cause of the two explosions will be lost. Several reasons have been given for cutting off the bow section, the most reasonable one being the danger from unexploded torpedoes. However, the amidships portion of the hulk still has a reported 23 cruise missiles on board.
Thus, the salvage effort was under way as this issue of the Proceedings went to press, with the confusion and conflicting stories continuing.