|
Russia Orders Halt to Submarine Towing
Sonofagun. Guess they do learn from their mistakes.MOSCOW (AP) - Russiaâs defense minister blamed the sinking of a derelict nuclear submarine on a national trait of carelessness and ordered a temporary halt Sunday to the towing of decommissioned subs. The announcement raised the prospect of further delays in efforts to dispose of more than 100 rotting ships and their reactors, which have been a concern to environmentalists. At least til they figure out how to do it properly. The K-159 submarine sank Saturday in the Barents Sea as it was being towed to an Arctic scrapyard where its reactors were to be removed and dismantled. Nine of the 10 sailors aboard died. ``There were definitely elements of this frivolous Russian reliance on chance, that everything will work out,ââ Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said from a ship monitoring search operations. âFrivolous Russian reliance on chanceâ? Just what I want to see in a military. Helps to explain Chechyna and other things. The sub went down in a storm, apparently after rough seas ripped off the pontoons that had been attached to it for towing. Russian news reports cited unidentified Navy sources as suggesting the pontoons had been placed improperly and Ivanov said the submarine went to the bottom with its conning tower open. ``This confirms yet again the simple truth that all instructions and orders must be taken seriously,ââ he said. Like not leaving the conning tower hatch open when being towed. Later, after meeting with surviving sailor Lt. Maxim Tsibulsky and families of the dead sailors, he said ``I have made a decision to ban the towing of such submarines to scrapyards in such a manner until further notice,ââ according to the Interfax news agency. However, Ivanov also said the men aboard the K-159 were not to blame. ``There are no complaints against you ... you were only a witness,ââ Ivanov said in a televised meeting with Tsibulsky, who lay in a Northern Fleet hospital bed appearing healthy but exhausted. He said the submarine will be raised from the 780-foot seabed but preparations could take several months. Bigger pontoons. Stronger chains. Russia has decommissioned about 189 nuclear-powered submarines over the past 15 years but officials say 126 of those still are at docks with nuclear fuel in their reactors, creating international concern about leaks and the possibility of nuclear materials being obtained by other nations or terrorists. It will cost an estimated $3.9 billion to scrap all the subs, Russian officials say. Yet last year, the Russian government budgeted just $70 million for improving nuclear safety in the country as a whole. Ivanovâs apparent frustration with procedure violations in the towing echoed the reaction of President Vladimir Putin, who said Saturday ``the sea demands discipline.ââ Vlad should require every sailor in the Russian navy to read "The Cruel Sea." The shipâs reactors were reportedly shut down when it was taken out of service. The submarine sank a few miles northwest of Kildin Island off the Kola Peninsula, where Russia abuts Norway and Finland. That is the same general area where the nuclear submarine Kursk sank almost exactly three years ago. Posted by: Steve White 2003-09-01 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=18215 |