Russia To Dispose Of Mothballed Nuclear Ships By 2010-Min
1 July 2005

MOSCOW (AP)--Russia will dispose of all its decommissioned nuclear-powered ships by 2010, Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev said Friday, according to the Interfax news agency.

In the economic troubles that plagued the military after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia decommissioned scores of nuclear submarines and other atomic-powered vessels. Most are slowly deteriorating in naval scrap yards, raising concerns about leakage or theft of nuclear material.

Rumyantsev told lawmakers in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, that Russia has sufficient funds to dispose of the vessels on its own, but that financial assistance offered by other countries would help cut the time for completing the work, the report said.

Lawmaker Martin Shakkum, chairman of the Duma's committee on industry and technology, said about 90 nuclear submarines and two nuclear surface vessels need to be disposed of, Interfax said. [ 01-07-05 0915GMT ]

Russia plans to scrap 9 nuclear submarines in 2009

MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is planning to dispose of nine nuclear submarines in 2009, Rosatom said.

This brings the total number of submarines scrapped since the launch of the program to 186.

In 2010, ten nuclear submarines are due to be scrapped.

In 2008, 15 nuclear submarines were scrapped in Russia, in 2007 - 16, in 2006 - 18, and in 2005 - 19.

Russian nuclear submarines are being disposed of under a special subprogram of the federal target program "Industrial disposal of arms and military hardware," approved by the Russian government in December 2005.

The country's biggest facility where nuclear submarines are being scrapped is the Zvyozdochka plant in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, which is part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.