MOSCOW, September 19 (AVN) - After President Vladimir Putin had declared the decision to recover the Kursk submarine crew in October - November this year, the Navy Staff started to prepare the operation itself, a source in the Staff told the Military News Agency.
The means to be used for the operation will be determined within the next three days. But it is clear that the Rudnitsky and Altai rescue ships of the Northern fleet, one or two large anti-submarine ships (the Admiral Chabanenko and Admiral Kharlamov), the Svir hospital ship and no less than two hydrographic vessels will take part, the source stressed.
The weather conditions in the area of the Kursk submarine distress are worsening, said Navy chief Vladimir Kuredov, who participated in the meeting with the president together with Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov and Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, head of the government commission investigating the Kursk disaster. The period for the recovery operation (October - November) is also risky. There are storms no less than 3 - 4 points in the Barents Sea at this period, which can make the operation of ships extremely difficult.
Ivanov said the contract with the Norwegian Stolt Offshore firm will be signed within the next few days. The divers of the firm are to take part in the operation. It is supposed that three divers will work at the same time and secure each other. A Norwegian specialist will be inside a deep submergence vehicle, one of Russian divers will go inside the submarine's compartments and the other will secure him from outside the hull.
Klebanov considers the lifting of the submarine itself will be made no earlier than the second half of the summer of 2001. Belgian, Dutch, US, British and Norwegian firms are ready to take part in the lifting, he said. The Russian leadership thinks the Belgian project is the best. It is most likely the operation will be conducted by Russian, Belgian and Dutch specialists, Klebanov said. The lifting will cost approximately USD45m. A special international fund will be set for the project, he stressed.