Environmental impact of sunken ships upon russian coastal waters and shorelands

• Published in: Transactions of the Krylov State Research Centre
• Main Authors: Nikolay A. Valdman, Sergey V. Viktorov, Viktor N. Ilyukhin, Lyudmila L. Ozerova
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Krylov State Research Centre 2019
• Subjects: environmental safety; wreck disposal; sunken ships; Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering; VM1-989; Arctic; Kola Bay; Siberia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.24937/2542-2324-2019-4-390-231-244; https://doaj.org/article/eb01efddb0f748f8b23cdec6af6f5db2

Object and purpose of research. This paper justifies the system of measures suggested to mitigate man-made environmental impact, i.e. accumulated environmental damage due to various sunken ships in Russian territorial and inland waters. It also analyses current challenges in cleansing coastal waters and shorelines in Russian Arctic and Far East, as well as in cleansing the rivers of central Russian regions and Siberia. Materials and methods. The study gives a comprehensive review of existing regulatory, organizational and technical aspects of the impact exerted by sunken ships upon water environments, in particular those of Kola Bay and Far Eastern regions, as well as various Russian rivers. Main results. The paper formulates new proposals on salvage & disposal acceleration of Russian ships because at current rates of these activities the work may continue for decades to come. The study analyzes environmental hazards of this situation and justifies the studies required to update and monitor it. Conclusion. This study outlines the ways to overcome this relevant scientific, practical, technical and environ- mental challenge in shipbuilding, formulating the proposals on how nautical wreckage could be removed from Russian waters and pointing out the importance of developing new ships, specially designed for recovery and on-site disposal of wrecks.