A Russian nuclear submarine has caught fire at an Arctic naval shipyard, Russian media report. Reports say that the fire on the Orel has been contained. Its reactor is not believed to have been at risk. 
The blaze started at the Severodvinsk shipyard during repairs. The Oscar-II class vessel does not have weapons or nuclear fuel on board.
The sub joined the Northern Fleet in 1992, reports say, and on operations it is armed with anti-ship missiles.
Despite this, a spokesman for the shipyard told Interfax news agency that it could take another two hours to stop the burning.
"The fire has been contained, they continue to fill the dry dock with water," he said.
Spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev also told Tass news agency that the water would not cause any damage to the equipment inside the submarine because the inner hull remains closed.
A spokesman for the corporation which runs the shipyard, Ilya Zhitomirsky, told The Associated Press news agency that the critical parts of the submarine's nuclear reactor had been removed before the repair work started.
There have been no reports of casualties.
Local media report that the blaze on the 155m-long (500ft) submarine
began when some insulation material caught fire during welding work.
In 2011, the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine was damaged in a huge fire during repairs in the northern Murmansk region.
Nine people were hurt fighting the blaze that started after the submarine's rubber-coated outer hull caught fire.
The blaze started at the Severodvinsk shipyard during repairs. The Oscar-II class vessel does not have weapons or nuclear fuel on board.
The sub joined the Northern Fleet in 1992, reports say, and on operations it is armed with anti-ship missiles.
No casualties
The dock has been flooded with water in order to put out the fire completely.Despite this, a spokesman for the shipyard told Interfax news agency that it could take another two hours to stop the burning.
"The fire has been contained, they continue to fill the dry dock with water," he said.
Spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev also told Tass news agency that the water would not cause any damage to the equipment inside the submarine because the inner hull remains closed.
A spokesman for the corporation which runs the shipyard, Ilya Zhitomirsky, told The Associated Press news agency that the critical parts of the submarine's nuclear reactor had been removed before the repair work started.
There have been no reports of casualties.
 |
| Thick smoke is still coming from the Orel submarine |
In 2011, the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine was damaged in a huge fire during repairs in the northern Murmansk region.
Nine people were hurt fighting the blaze that started after the submarine's rubber-coated outer hull caught fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment