Russian nuclear submarine catches fire while undergoing repairs

Russian nuclear submarine catches fire while undergoing repairs

2011-12-30 13:12:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- A Russian nuclear submarine caught fire while undergoing repairs at a shipyard in northern Russia on Thursday afternoon, officials said on Friday morning. There was no indication of a nuclear radiation threat.

The incident began late Thursday afternoon when construction waste caught fire at a dry dock in the settlement of Roslyakovo, which is located in Murmansk region. The fire quickly spread to the outside hull of the K-84 Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine, which was undergoing routine maintenance work.

Northern Fleet spokesman Captain 1st Rank Vadim Serga told the RIA Novosti news agency that there was no possibility of the flames burning through the hull and reaching the submarine's onboard equipment. The fire was still continuing on Friday morning, but firefighters were making progress to extinguish the blaze.

A source told the Itar-Tass news agency that radiation levels were normal at the submarine. "The radiation monitoring is made by 59 permanent detectors and 25 portable control posts," the source said. "According to their indicators, the radiation level is normal."

There were no reports of casualties as a result of the fire.

The K-84 Yekaterinburg forms part of the country's seven Delta-IV class submarines which are currently in service and operated by the Northern Fleet. Each of the submarines hold 16 Sineva submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which the NATO classifies as a 'Skiff.'

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