Robot launches Kursk salvage

The Kursk salvage plan is dangerous and contentious

An underwater robot has been testing the waters around the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, as the operation to raise the wreck begins.

A Norwegian diving support ship arrived at the site in the Barents Sea on Sunday, carrying the teams of Russian, Norwegian and British divers who will carry out one of the most ambitious salvage missions ever attempted.

The Mayo is now above the wrecked submarine

The ship, the Mayo, is also laden with high-tech equipment including the robot, which is testing for increased radiation levels in the sea around the wreck.

The Kursk, which sank last August with the loss of all 118 crew, is being raised to allay fears of future radioactive contamination of the Barents Sea.

The British divers are expected to begin work later on Monday.

It will take about two months before the submarine is ready for lifting.

Click here to see how the Kursk will be raised

The submarine, which has nuclear reactors and unexploded torpedoes aboard, lies on the sea floor under 356 feet (100m) of water.

Russian officials believe the disaster was caused by a torpedo which exploded.

But they say they remain unsure whether it was caused by a malfunction - the theory favoured by most outside experts - or a collision.

President Vladimir Putin promised bereaved relatives that the Kursk would be raised this year.

Environmentalists have criticised the operation, because of what they say are possible dangers from the Kursk's two nuclear reactors.

Cutting front section

The actual lifting of the Kursk is scheduled for around 15 September.

The team will use robots to cut off the front section of the sub, where the accident happened, and leave it on the seabed.

The operation will proceed in several stages before culminating with the raising of the sub and its return to a specially prepared dock at the Northern Fleet's base in Murmansk on 20 September.

Russian divers have been practising for their part in the operation. Some of the men are already familiar with the Kursk, having taken part in the failed rescue mission last August.

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