Probe into Nerpa Nuclear sub mishap to be completed by March

Moscow, Jan 29 (PTI) Russia Thursday said that the
probe into the accident of the Nerpa nuclear submarine to be
leased to India is expected to be completed by March this
year.

The accident occurred on November 8 last year, while
the K-152 Nerpa (Akula-II class) nuclear attack submarine was
undergoing pre-delivery sea trials in the Sea of Japan.

Three crew members and 17 technical staff of the Amur
Shipyard had died of suffocation by Freon gas due to
'unsanctioned' triggering of fire suppression system.

"We will wrap up the investigation into the Nerpa
accident in February and expect the case to be referred to the
court as early as in March," a source in the investigation
was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, on
board the nuclear submarine to be handed over to the Indian
Navy this summer on 10 year lease, at the time of mishap.

The probe panel has supported the initial conclusion
that the accident, the worst since the sinking of the Kursk
nuclear submarine in 2000, was caused by mishandling of a
temperature sensor on board the submarine.

A serving crew member Dmitry Grobov, has been charged
with "involuntary manslaughter" and may face a sentence of up
to five years in prison. The pre-delivery trials postponed due
to the probe could be further postponed by the Amur Shipyard
as it has no trial crew and is short of cash.

"Some members of the trial team, which was on the
submarine during last year's accident have died, some are
medically unfit, while some others have refused to go to the
sea due to psychological reasons," Gennady Bagin, Director of
'Vostok'- a unit of the Amur shipyard was quoted as saying by
Kommersant daily.

The new team would have to undergo one year long
refresher course before it could be allowed to resume trials,
further delaying the delivery of the nuclear sub to the Indian
Navy, it wrote. PTI VS
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