MOSCOW, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – There is no danger of a radioactive leak from a nuclear submarine in Russia’s Far East after a fire broke out during repairs, the Defense Ministry said Monday.
The K-150 Tomsk nuclear-powered submarine was undergoing maintenance work at a dock in Russia’s far eastern Primorye Territory when the fire started.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that, at the time of the incident, “the reactor had been shut down and there were no weapons on board.”
No one was injured in the fire, which started during welding work, the ministry said.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that “this fire had no significant impact on the equipment on board the submarine” and added that “safety violations during work to the boat” was likely the underlying cause of the incident.
The Defense Ministry also raised concerns over delays to the maintenance work which was initially scheduled for completion by 2011, although this deadline was extended to July 2013.
The K-150 Tomsk cruise missile submarine suffered particular problems with its nuclear reactor cooling system, and has been docked for repairs since November 2009.
