Preparations have begun for an effort to salvage the stricken Russian nuclear-propelled submarine Kursk, which was ripped open by explosions and sank in the Barents Sea last August. The massive operation, to be undertaken by an international consortium of Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, and U.S. companies under the aegis of the Kursk Foundation, is scheduled for this summer but probably will be delayed until the fall of 2001 if not later because of funding difficulties.
The vice prime minister of the Russian Federation, Ilya Klebanov, has stated that the Russian government's decision to lift the Kursk primarily is for the neutralization of any environmental risk. The sunken sub lies in relatively shallow water (350 feet) in the Barents Sea, an area rich in fish and containing major fishing rounds.
To date, monitoring of the area has revealed no abnormal radiation from the submarine's two OKB-650b pressurizedwater reactors. Indeed, monitoring of other sunken Soviet and U.S. nuclear-propelled submarines lost since 1963 has detected no reactor leakage. (There is concern for the nuclear weapons carried in several of these submarines, which had plutonium warheads, a more dangerous material.)
Klebanov has confirmed the full support of the Russian government and of President Vladimir Putin for the Kursk Foundation and the salvage effort. Beyond the ecological considerations, it is obvious that Putin wants the Kursk salvaged—and quickly—for political reasons. The Russian government's handling of news of the disaster, the handling of relatives of the 118 men lost in the Kursk, and the failure of Russian Navy rescue systems and limitations of Russian diving equipment have been causes of major embarrassment for Putin's administration.
The foundation-sponsored study concentrated on the systems, equipment, and personnel needed for the recovery and on the associated operational and environmental constraints. It also has had to take into account political, cultural, military, and environmental sensitivities, however, for without at least an understanding of the background and influence of these factors it would be unable to come to an objective view of the feasibility of any recovery operation.
August 2001 is considered the optimum time for the salvage effort, according to the Kursk Foundation.
A schedule has been developed based on the preparations needed for the recovery and the August window for weather conditions in the Barents Sea. Such a program, foundation officials state, is challenging but achievable.
According to the schedule, from April to June 2001 the remains of the Kursk would be surveyed by divers and remotely operated submersibles. During this period the sub's forward (torpedo) compartment would be cut away. Also, holes would be cut into the outer hull to gain access to pressure-hull ring stiffeners.
During July and August the lift devices would be attached to the individual lifting points on the hull. Afterward the heavy lift vessel Thialf would be brought over the Kursk, as would the transport barge Giant. The Thialf—also called a semisubmersible crane vessel—is one of six similar craft. Built in 1985, she is self-propelled and can be submerged some 65 feet below the sea level during offshore operations to provide a highly stable upper deck, even in rough wind and sea conditions. Two cranes are mounted on her main deck, each with a lift capacity of 7,100 metric tons. The Thialf was built primarily to work on offshore oil-drilling rigs.
After being positioned and with the lift cables attached, the Thialf would raise the hulk from the ocean floor, the operation to be carefully monitored by remote submersibles. The transport barge Giant would be moored in such a way that the Kursk, when lifted to a shallow depth, could be secured under that craft for subsequent tow to shallow water.
The current cost estimate of the salvage operation is $70 million, to be shared by Russia and several European countries. Difficulties in raising that amount apparently have delayed the salvage effort until the fall of 2001, a less-than-optimum time from the viewpoint of weather conditions in the Barents Sea. And while negotiations for funding continue, some salvage authorities believe that the estimate is significantly lower than the realistic costs for such an operation in so remote an area.