Nuclear Safety

The two sunken nuclear-powered submarines K-27 and K-159 will be lifted and scrapped, a source in Russia’s Ministry of Defense says. An international tender will held to get the job done.

Igor Shumakov and Per Strand are drafting new expeditions when Norwegian and Russian authorities now are teaming up for extended monitoring of the Soviet Union’s main nuclear waste dumpsites in the Kara Sea.

Norway and Russia have agreed to hold a joint nuclear safety exercise in 2013. The exercise will focus on information and warning of nuclear incidents.

The most dangerous ship in northern Europe is Friday sailing towards her final decommissioning site. “It is a victory to international cooperation that we today, after 20 years of plans and talks, can follow “Lepse” on her final voyage. Murmansk is a safer place from today,” says Frederic Hauge of the Bellona Foundation.

This is underwater photos of K-27, the rusty nuclear powered submarine that was dumped in the Kara Sea 30 years ago. Is it leaking radioactivity? Top officials from Norway and Russia meet in St. Petersburg on Thursday to discuss what to do with the potential radioactive time-bomb.

Heavily contaminated radioactive waste and soil that have been exposed to harsh Arctic climate for decades are finally under roof in Andreeva bay on the Kola Peninsula

“Lepse” is balancing inside the floating dock just north of Murmansk as workers make preparations for her final voyage in Arctic waters after the summer. This vessel should better not sink.

By 2020 the nuclear icebreakers “Arktika”, “Sibir” and “Rossiya” will be scrapped. This will be done at one of the shipyards in the Russian Barents.

UPDATED: “Taimyr” was Friday evening escorted by the the nuclear powered icebreaker “Rossia” into a bay on the Vaigach island. - Ongoing leakages of cooling water from the reactor can evolve into a serious accident with potential for radioactive leakages, says nuclear physicist Nils Bøhmer in Bellona.