Nuclear waste dumps at sea & the Arctic: the Russian Northern Fleet - Sources of Radioactive Contamination

Sources of Radioactive Contamination

Bellona Report 2:1996, 28. August 1996 
Written by: Thomas Nilsen, Igor Kudrik and Alexandr Nikitin

 Nominated for the Princes' Award 1997 for the best audivisual on Europe's environment

The Kola peninsula and Severodvinsk have the highest concentration of nuclear reactors, active and derelict, in the world. The cold war arms race went too fast for authorities to plan what to do with decommissioned submarines and the nuclear waste. This report describes the challenges that we face. The web-version, with "The Northern Fleet Updated" is kept updated with the latest news.

Last: New Russian law on state secrets:
All information on Northern Fleet radwaste and subs now secret 
Russian's president Boris Yeltsin resently undersigned a new law on state secrets, which establishes all information on military bases, marine yards, labour conditions and radioactive waste as being secret. The law may have dramatic consequences towards the attempts at bringing the nuclear chaos of the Russian north under control. (The Northern Fleet - Updated / 1997-10-11)

The complete document with color photographs can also be ordered directely from Bellona. On October 18 1505 copies of the report were confiscated by customs in St. Petersburg. Four days later it was proclaimed that the report is prohibited in Russia.

We also have a short summary and presentation of the report available.

• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. The Northern Fleet
• 2. Nuclear-powered vessels
• 2.5. Classification of nuclear-powered naval vessels
• 3. Service ships and special tankers
• 4. Radioactive waste at the naval bases
• 5. Naval yards
• 6. Decommissioning of nuclear submarines
• 7. Handling of spent fuel assemblies
• 8. Nuclear submarine accidents
• Appendix - other countries

• References
• List of tables
• List of pictures
• Long Table of Contents