Resolution on the environmental threat of nuclear submarines, especially Russian ones

B4-1357, 1378 and 1392/95

Resolution on the environmental threat of nuclear submarines, especially Russian ones

The European Parliament,

A.having regard to the statement by Alexei Yablokov, Chairman of the Russian Ecological Safety Commission and adviser to President Yeltsin, that many submarines of the Russian Navy are "floating Chernobyls" and "environmental catastrophes", which as Admiral Oleg Yerofeyev stated "could sink at any time",

B.having regard to the near melt-down of several nuclear submarine reactors on 20 September 1995 at a nuclear submarine base on the Kola Peninsula, caused by a negligent and deliberate electricity shut-down,

C.whereas the 1993 report of the Russian nuclear state inspectorate made it clear that "submarines awaiting decommissioning have practically become floating spent-fuel stores" which are in an "unsatisfactory" condition and that "sinking is a real possibility",

D.whereas the Russian Northern and Pacific Fleets have accumulated approximately 30,000 spent fuel assemblies, equivalent to the contents of about 140 reactor cores, and whereas there are only enough storage facilities for another three reactor cores,

E.whereas there is a real danger to European and global environmental safety due to the dumping of 19 Russian and United States nuclear reactors and reactor screens from damaged nuclear submarines, and one nuclear reactor from the atomic ice-breaker "Lenin", in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic Oceans,

F.mindful of at least 13 direct collisions between United States, Russian/Soviet, French, British and Chinese nuclear submarines and nuclear submarines and military surface ships since 1965, two of which occurred after the end of the Cold War, the loss of seven nuclear reactors at sea when nuclear-powered submarines sank during normal operations, the loss of 43 Soviet and seven US nuclear warheads and 612 accidents involving US nuclear submarines alone,

G.having regard to the fact that measures against nuclear pollution are part of the TACIS programme in Russia,

1.Urges the main naval powers to inform the United Nations about nuclear weapons and reactors lost at sea, and calls on the Commission and Council to make clear that negotiations to halt the global danger emanating from lost nuclear weapons at sea should start immediately;

2.Calls on the Council and the Commission to expand EU assistance to and cooperation with Russia to avoid further nuclear catastrophes;

3.Resolves that its competent committees will hold hearings on the full scope of this nuclear threat for global security and the global environment;

4.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of the United States, Russia and China, and the International Centre for Technology Assessment.