EEE会議（ロシアの老朽原子力潜水艦の惨状）..................................................................2003.10.1
冷戦終了後一気に表面化した旧ソ連海軍の老朽原子力潜水艦の解体処分問題は、日本
など関係国の援助にも関わらず一向に改善しておらず、益々深刻化しているようで
す。
本日のNew
York
Timesによれば、現在、第１世代の原潜３０隻が色々の問題（放射能
漏れその他）を抱えて危険な状態にあるが、それだけではなく、これまでに退役した
１９２隻についても、完全に解体されたものは１隻もなく、使用済み燃料と解体放射
性物質の保管場所が絶対的に不足しているため、暫定的な措置として、８０基以上の
原子炉が洋上の保管容器に入れられていて、定期的な検査や修理を必要としているそ
うです。さらに、別途解体された少なくとも４０隻の原潜がいずれかのロシア海軍基
地に繋留されており、そのうちの２隻（事故で原子炉が破損し、特別の手当てを必要
とするもの）は日本海に面したウラジオストック近くの基地に放置されているとのこ
と。
最近こうした老朽原潜の事故が相次いでいますが、そのほか、環境への悪影響も勿論
生じており、聞けば聞くほど恐ろしいような状況です。米国をはじめとする各国の援
助もまさに焼け石に水。自分の尻を自分で拭けない国のだらしなさを非難するのは簡
単ですが、隣国として日本も見てみない振りをするわけにも行かず、全く困ったもの
です。
--KK
*******************************************************
Rusty
and Radioactive
By ASHOT SARKISSOV
MOSCOW
On Aug. 30, the
K-159, a Russian November-class nuclear submarine, sank
during bad weather in
the Barents Sea, taking with it nine sailors. The
K-159, which had been
decommissioned by the Russian Navy in 1989, broke
loose as it was being towed
to the Nerpa dismantling site near Murmansk.
Unfortunately, the K-159
accident is symptomatic of a larger malaise
plaguing the Russian Navy. More
than 30 of Russia's first-generation nuclear
submarines are deteriorating,
with the most typical problems including hull
leaks and the failure of safety
systems.
Submarine conditions are only part of the problem, however. None
of the 192
submarines that Russia has decommissioned have been completely
dismantled;
Russia lacks places to put the vessels' spent fuel and irradiated
scrap. As
a temporary measure, more than 80 nuclear reactor compartments are
encased
in storage containers at sea that have to be inspected and
repaired
periodically so they stay afloat.
Furthermore, at least 40
decommissioned nuclear vessels of other kinds are
anchored off Russian bases,
while two submarines with nuclear reactors that
were damaged in accidents and
require special treatment are still docked at
a base near Vladivostok, in the
Sea of Japan. In addition, there are only
rudimentary environmental
radiation-monitoring systems in the Russian
regions that deal with the
dismantling of nuclear submarines or the handling
of spent nuclear fuel and
radioactive waste.
This burdensome nuclear legacy of the cold war poses a
potential threat not
only to Russia but also to its neighbors. The K-159
accident was,
unfortunately, not the first such accident involving a
decommissioned
Russian nuclear sub; a similar mishap occurred in 1997 off the
Kamchatka
Peninsula, thankfully without the loss of life. This time, however,
there
were significant casualties, and the submarine went down in an area
of
active navigation and commercial fishing.
By itself, the sinking of
the K-159 is not likely to cause an environmental
disaster. Though its
reactors contain spent fuel, the protective barriers
and safety features of
the submarine should prevent the escape of any
measurable amount of
radioactivity. But this accident is a clear signal to
Russia and the
international community to hasten the dismantling program and
ensure the
security of the Russian Navy. The potential is great for a
disaster far worse
than that of the K-159: many of the deteriorating
submarines have high
radioactivity levels, yet are hundreds of miles from a
dismantling
site.
In recent years, Russia has undertaken a major effort, financed by
the
United States and other countries, to expedite the decommissioning of
naval
vessels and to secure radioactive materiel. Yet there is not enough
manpower
and resources to do so at the required pace.
Without further
involvement by the international community, efforts to
eliminate the dangers
of the maritime cold war legacy may take a long time.
And while there is
significant international cooperation in this area ・
including the Nunn-Lugar
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and the Arctic
Military Environmental
Cooperation Program, which is financed by the United
States and Norway ・the
scope of these efforts has yet to match the
magnitude of the
problem.
The sinking of the K-159 is one more call for joint efforts to
solve
problems that remain from the cold war. Eliminating threats from
nuclear and
radioactive materials should be a priority for both Russia and
the
international community ・one made all the more urgent because of
the
intensifying activities of terrorists and their quest for weapons of
mass
destruction.
Ashot Sarkissov is a retired vice admiral in the
Russian Navy. This article
was translated by Ilya Feliciano from the
Russian.