Lack of Money Impedes Utilization of Nuclear Submarines

An international seminar on utilization of submarines was recently held in the Russian city of Severodvinsk. Director general of the military shipyard Zvezdochka where nuclear submarines are utilized, Nikolay Kalistratov said at the seminar that in accordance with the Russian program in force, the enterprise would be able to utilize only two strategic submarines this year. He added that utilization of other strategic submarines is performed with financing appropriated by the USA. “Dozens of nuclear submarines have been put out of the Russian Navy structure, but there is not enough financing for utilization of all submarines.”

In accordance with international agreements, Russia must utilize 122 submarines before 2010. This was stated at a press-conference held by organizers of the seminar yesterday. As of now, the number of submarines put out of the Navy operation structure and ready for utilization makes up 110. Sixty two of them are in Russia’s north.

There are two enterprises in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region dealing with utilization of nuclear submarines: Zvezdochka military shipyard and Sevmashpredpriyatie. At that, Deputy Minister for Atomic Energy Sergey Antipov said at the seminar that Zvezdochka would cope with the utilization order alone if it had enough financing. Technical cutting of all nuclear submarines requires 900 million dollars, while the whole of the program costs over 4 billion dollars.

The Zvezdochka shipyard is situated in the Russian northern city of Severodvinsk. Mayor of the city Alexander Belyayev says, although the environmental situation has improved recently there, but state of health of the citizens has become worse. As ecologists and doctors say, bad health of the population is connected with diseases caused by ecological problems. The mayor says, specialists have no distinct explanation of the phenomenon. In this connection, it’s offered to hold a special international seminar to discuss the problem. However, it’s unlikely that any seminar may improve state of health of the citizens living in a place where lots of nuclear submarines are waiting for utilization for a long time.

Vitaly Bratkov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: https://www.pravda.ru/economics/33541-utilisaziya/

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