Moscow — The fire on a Russian submersible that killed 14 navy officers this week started in the vessel’s battery compartment and didn’t impact its nuclear reactor, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday.
Confirming for the first time that the accident happened on a nuclear-powered vessel, Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that the crew took measures to protect the reactor from the flames, and that the submersible can be repaired.
“We identified the main reason for the accident, a fire in the battery compartment, which later spread,” Shoigu said in his report to the president after his trip to Arctic port Severomorsk, where the unnamed vessel is currently docked.
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He said there were survivors.
The Kommersant daily newspaper, citing sources close to the crew, said Wednesday that investigators are considering a powerful short circuit as a reason for the fire.
“The nuclear installation on this apparatus is completely isolated and unmanned on this vessel,” Shoigu said. “In addition, the crew carried out all necessary measures to protect the installation, and it is in working order.”
Shoigu earlier said that members of the crew sealed the hatch after evacuating a civilian from the compartment on fire, isolating the rest of the ship.
The name of the vessel has not been officially published, and the Kremlin said much of the information surrounding the accident would be kept classified.
The Reuters news agency said Russian officials “have faced accusations of trying to cover up the full details of the accident” that happened during what the defense ministry called a survey of the sea floor near the Arctic.
Russian media, citing sources, have named the vessel as part of Losharik, the unofficial name for a project run by the top-secret Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research (GUGI).
The Russian newspaper Fontanka reported Tuesday that a military base in Saint Petersburg published an announcement about the death of the crew of the AS-31, a nuclear-powered deep-water sub that is part of the Losharik project.
Previously, media identified the sub as AS-12, also part of Losharik.
Shoigu said he hopes that the submersible “can be restored in a relatively short time.”
However, Kommersant said that as the sub remains part of a top-secret project, even military investigators have no access to the dock where the vessel is located and crew members cannot be formally identified.
