Russia to dispose fully of 2 nuclear submarines in 2010
VLADIVOSTOK. July 10. KAZINFORM Russia will have disposed fully of two nuclear submarines by the middle of 2010. The Dutch Transshelf vessel brought the submarines from the Primorsky Territory to Kamchatka, it was stated at a press conference at the Zvezda shipyard in the town of Bolshoi Kamen on Friday, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
Both submarines have served in the Pacific Fleet for more than 30 years and then for other ten years were waiting for the disposal at a bay of the Kamchatka Territory. Two submarines, 106 meters long and with the displacement of 6,280 tons each, were loaded aboard the Transshelf ten days ago and brought to the Zvezda shipyard in Bolshoi Kamen.
According to Zvezda director Andrei Rossomakhin, the submarines were transported aboard another vessel for the first time in the Far East. Before that the submarines sailed to the disposal plant themselves or by tugboat. The operation was also unique because two submarines were loaded aboard the ship at a time. Pacific Fleet vessels ensured the navigation safety during the whole voyage (2,500 kilometres). The Zvezda shipyard will unload the submarines in a few days and will begin the preparations for unloading their reactors, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.