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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 August 2000 Issue No. 495 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 August 2000 Issue No. 495
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Thrown into the abyss
By Abdel-Malek KhalilThe case of the Russian submarine, the Kursk, stuck at the bottom of the Barents Sea is a grim reminder of the deplorable state of Russian nuclear submarine fleet. The Kursk, one of the most modern of Russia's submarines, was mercifully not carrying any nuclear fuel or warheads, and radiation levels are reportedly low. Attempts by rescue vessels to save the lives of 116 officers and sailors aboard the Kursk have been stalled by bad weather. However, as of press time, the weather seems to have improved and the rescue effort resumed. Several Russian nuclear submarines have been involved in serious incidents over the past few years. In May 1998, also in the Barents Sea, a serious disaster almost struck when a submarine carrying nuclear missiles caught fire. Earlier that year, a naval officer died following a breakdown of a nuclear-powered submarine in the Arctic Ocean. On 7 April 1989, the Komsomolets, a Soviet nuclear-powered submarine, sank off the Norwegian coast with the loss of 42 lives.
The breakdown of Russian submarines has become so common that it hardly raised any eyebrows. Russia's military, strapped for cash, reportedly performs almost no maintenance on its submarines or ships. Though Russia lacks any sophisticated submarine rescue equipment, it has declined the assistance of the US, Britain, France and Norway in the recovery effort.
