SNEZHNOGORSK. Nov 23 (Interfax-AVN) - A group of experts from Great Britain and Norway arrived in the Murmansk region to prepare the contract on a multi-role nuclear submarine dismantling at the Nerpa ship-repair plant in Snezhnogorsk.
"The experts came with the visit as Great Britain may give money for dismantling a Victor-3 type nuclear sub," Rostislav Ridmenok, chief engineer of the plant, told Interfax.
According to him, the experts studied the documents related to the dismantling technology, the plant's capabilities, and the ecological and radioactive security. They were satisfied with the readiness of the plant for such a job.
He expressed his hope that Great Britain would provide financial aid to the technical support program of the dismantling process, if the contract was signed. For instance, he meant the program of reconstruction of containers to store metal scrap, and the plans to obtain ventilation systems, radiation meters and other equipment.
He recalled that plant's specialists had dismantled a sub of the type under the Russian-Norwegian agreement that provided for Norwegian funding of the dismantling of two nuclear submarines at the Nerpa and Zvyozdochka plants. Norway earmarked 10 million euros for that.
Nerpa also suggested that Britain should provide funding for the reconstruction of a deactivation site and temporary storing facilities for solid radioactive wastes to provide better radioactive security.
The Zvyozdochka plant in Severodvinsk is also involved in the dismantling of Victor-3 subs. Great Britain has signed a contract with it too. A total of 26 second-generation nuclear submarines of Project 671RTM (code-named Shchuka, or Victor-3 in NATO classification) were built from 1964 to 1974. Sixteen of them were docked in Zapadnaya Litsa in service with the Northern Fleet. Eight of them have been dismantled so far.
The Viktor-3 submarine displaces 69,907,250 cubic meters of water, and has a width of 10.8 m and length of 106.1 m, can dive to a depth of 400 m, its buoyancy being 28 percent, and endurance equaling 80 days.