Raising of Sunken Submarine Financed

K-159 submarine that sank two months ago is to be raised in August - September 2004
Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Kuroyedov signed an order on organization of a special expedition to the shipwreck location of the K-159 nuclear submarine that sank in the Barents Sea two months ago. PRAVDA.Ru learnt from an informed source at the Russian Shipbuilding Agency that the RF Nuclear Power Ministry, the Defense Ministry and Rossudostroyenie (Shipbuilding agency) signed a joint decision on organization of an operation for K-159 raising. Within the two last months of the year, the parties plan to spend 126 million rubles on examination of the possibility of the submarine raising. The Malakhit design bureau is to be responsible for the examination.

A plan of the submarine raising from the depth of 240 meters is to be approved in the first quarter of 2004. It is supposed that the submarine raising will be carried out in August - September 2004. At the same time, the Grani.ru online edition informs that according to the legislation "On amendments and additions to the federal law "On the 2003 federal budget", financing of national defense is to be increased from the previously fixed sum of 344.5 billion rubles to 354.9 billion rubles. A great share of the additional sum of 10.5 billion rubles will be spent on maintenance of the RF armed force. 126 million rubles, $4.2 million are to be appropriated for raising of the K-159 submarine.

The Dutch company Mammoet was paid $64 million for raising of the Kursk submarine except other spending. Unlike K-159, Kursk sank at the depth of about 100 meters. Certainly, the submarine that tragically sank two months ago was relieved of ammunition and had easier weight, but the body of K-159 is extremely old and submerged too deep, at the depth of 240 meters. Successful performance of the raising operation requires more financing to be appropriated next year. A source of PRAVDA.Ru in Rossudostroyenie reports that technical facilities of the Severny Reid (North Raid) enterprise in the city of Severodvinsk (the Arkhangelsk Region). A transportable polystyrene system produced at the enterprise guarantees additional floatation of vessels thanks to foamed polystyrene filled in empty bodies. The description of the unique technology is available on www.sevreid.ru.