Nuclear Fuel Removed from Kursk Submarine

The operation to remove spent nuclear fuel from the reactors of the Kursk nuclear submarine has been completed. Yesterday the last four spent fuel modules were removed from the submarine's reactors at the Nerpa shipyard in the Murmansk Region. Overall, 398 spent fuel modules have been removed from the Kursk's two reactors - 199 from each.

The Kursk's reactor block will now be handed from the military to shipyard workers, who have to prepare it for being sent to a temporary storage facility for nuclear objects in the Barents Sea. The Imandra maintenance vessel, on which the fuel is currently being stored, will depart for its permanent base - the Atomflot repair yard's docks. From here the fuel will be sent by special train to the Mayak industrial enterprise.

The Kursk was the Northern Fleet's eighth nuclear submarine. Its spent nuclear fuel was removed by the Imandra maintenance vessel. All technical requirements connected with the extraction of nuclear fuel were strictly observed during the process. Safety, which was always a top priority, was ensured by experts from the Murmansk Shipping Company and the Northern Fleet. The work was monitored by the Russian Atomic Inspectorate and the Defence Ministry's Department for Monitoring Nuclear and Radiation Safety.