Tomsk nuclear submarine fire: Nothing but negligence

The Tomsk nuclear submarine, which was docked for repairs at Zvezda shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen, caught fire. Chief editor of National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko spoke with Pravda.Ru about possible causes and consequences of the fire.

"The reasons of the fire are obvious - I think it is a violation of safety rules during repairs, particularly in gas welding. The human factor, coupled with failure to adhere to instructions and safety regulations was the factor that led to the fire. Human negligence and carelessness - that's the main reason.

"I would like to hope that the losses will be minimal, but practice shows that fires on board submarines typically require billions of rubles for the liquidation of their consequences. Moreover, it takes years to have the submarine on service again. It would take a very significant financial investment to bring the sub back to the combat-ready condition - billions of rubles. But this is a preliminary forecast, of course.

"The last time a similar incident took place on board the Yekaterinburg submarine. However, two fires on two nuclear subs under repair suggest that this is becoming a trend. Therefore, after the most recent case, it is necessary to draw organizational and tactical conclusions, not to let it occur again.