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The decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered vessels is an issue of major concern to the United States and to the Scandinavian countries near Russia. From 1950 to 2003, the Soviet Union and its major successor state, Russia, constructed the largest nuclear-powered navy in the world, more ships than all other navies combined:〔 248 submarines (91 attack submarines, 62 cruise missile submarines, 91 ballistic missile submarines and four research submarines), four Kirov class battlecruisers, and a missile test ship,〔 as well as nine icebreakers. Many were or are powered by two reactors each, bringing the total to 468 reactors.〔 With the end of the Cold War and with its navy chronically underfunded,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Russian Navy will surpass the US one only in diversity )〕 Russia has decommissioned many of these vessels, and according to one report dated November 2008, intended to scrap all decommissioned submarines (more than 200) by 2012.〔 However, the safety records of the Soviet and Russian navies and the budgetary constraints on the Russian government are matters of great concern. Ships awaiting decommissioning receive little maintenance, and there are insufficient waste storage facilities,〔 raising worries about possible ecological damage from accidents or improper storage. ==Overview== In the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was more concerned about building up its fleet, rather than making provisions for the disposal of aging nuclear-powered vessels. It was not until 1986 that "the Central Committee of the Communist party and the Supreme Soviet ratified Decree No. 095-296 which laid down formal procedures for decommissioning and dismantling inactive nuclear submarines." By this time, the first generation November class submarines had been in service for over 20 years. By comparison, the service life expectancy of the more modern Delta IVs is estimated to be between 20 and 30 years with regular overhauls, or 10 to 15 without.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=667BDRM Dolphin Delta IV )〕 Progress was hindered by the large number of government bodies involved, resulting in much confusion and competition. The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 further complicated matters. Russia assumed responsibility for all of the Soviet Navy's nuclear-powered ships, but agreements between agencies responsible for decommissioning had to be renegotiated.〔 The major issues are financial. In 1995, a Northern Fleet submarine based near Murmansk nearly suffered a nuclear meltdown when power was cut off due to unpaid electricity bills.〔〔 Decommissioned vessels are often left in floating storage until funds can be allocated for their dismantling.〔 As of November 2001, "up to 40% of the decommissioned submarines have been in floating storage without much maintenance for more than 10 years".〔 The situation has caused concern in other countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and the Scandinavian countries, which have contributed funding and assistance. The Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) was a joint Norwegian, Russian, and American government consortium〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Declaration among the Department of Defense of the United States of America, the Royal Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Norway, and the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, on Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation )〕 (later joined by the British) set up to deal with military environmental issues, mainly the dismantling of Russia's nuclear submarine fleet in Europe. After the "somewhat acrimonious dissolution" of AMEC, the Norwegian and British governments shared the £3.9 million cost of dismantling a November class submarine.〔 Under AMEC's successor, Cooperative Threat Reduction, the British government financed the dismantling of two Oscar I submarines. The Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has been responsible for the deactivation and destruction of many weapons, including 33 nuclear submarines.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Nunn-Lugar Scoreboard )〕 With the "Star of Hope" program, Japan has funded the dismantling of five Victor III and one Charlie I submarines in the Far East. Security is also an issue. Russian sailors have been convicted and jailed for two 1993 thefts of highly enriched uranium from fuel rods.〔 In 1994, Russian officials caught two North Korean agents trying to buy submarine dismantlement schedules. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered vessels」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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