Russian nuclear waste ship launched in Italy
The Italian Fincantieri shipyard today launched a ship designed to transport nuclear waste including spent fuel from Russian submarines.
The vessel, which cost €70 million, will be delivered to Russia in 2011, where it will be used by Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The vessel is called Rossita, RIA Novosti reports.
The vessel will be 84 meters long and 14 meters wide and have a depth of only 4 meters. This will make it possible for the vessel to enter any port on the Kola Peninsula. It can carry 640 tons of cargo.
The vessel will shuttle between Gremikha, the Andreeva Bay, the Saida Bay, Severodvinsk and other naval bases in the Kola Peninsula. By far most of the spent nuclear fuel in the region stems from nuclear-powered submarines.
Rossita was built as a result of an agreement signed by Russia and Italy in 2003 on cooperation on nuclear safety and scrapping of discarded nuclear submarines. Plans for the vessel are drawn by Russian specialists.
Russian Trade and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko and Italian Economic Development Minister Paolo Romani took part in the ship’s launching ceremony.
