Norway's view of the Kursk disaster

By Andrew Glasse in Oslo

Russia's neighbour Norway has been closely involved in the tragedy of the Kursk nuclear-powered submarine which went down in the Barents Sea on 12 August.

The border between the two countries separates a remote part of a modern, highly developed and environmentally conscious member of the Nato alliance from a densely populated, industrial and military, but undeveloped region of one of the world's super-powers.

The contrast has been apparent over the last couple of weeks.

When the Russians finally accepted the fact that outside assistance would be needed in the rescue attempts, Norway was a natural country to turn to.

'The very best' technology

The Normand Pioneer transported the British-Norwegian rescue team to the wreck site

Norway has a highly developed oil and gas industry based on deep-sea technology from the North Sea.

Technical equipment and human resources are of the very best, and Norwegians take for granted the work done under water by expert divers and mini-submersible navigators.

Britain's Royal Navy was also a useful partner in the operation, giving rapid logistic assistance and expertise at short notice.

The rescue attempt was launched from Trondheim in Norway. A Norwegian boat, the Normand Pioneer, carried the British-Norwegian rescue team and an LR5 mini-submarine to the wreck site in the Barents Sea.

Norwegian divers were involved in the ill-fated attempt to rescue the Kursk crew

The fact that the Norwegian-based divers could reach the rescue hatch of the Kursk so quickly only to discover that the vessel was full of water and the crew had perished, only underlined the inadequacy of the Russian rescue efforts.

Norwegians are left with two main talking points in the wake of the disaster.

Environmental concerns

Firstly, the environmental consequences of a nuclear powered wreck lying at the bottom of an ocean vital to Norwegian fishing interests.

There is constant monitoring of the Barents Sea for radiation

The two reactors on board the Kursk were turned off automatically when the submarine went down.

So far, Norwegian monitoring has registered no more radio-activity than is normally noted in this part of the world.

Russian experts claimed on Tuesday that there had been a doubling of radioactivity around the wreck.

Norway's Radiation Protection Authority has denied this. However, plans to raise the submarine caused concern in Norway.

Thomas Nilsen, a representative of the Oslo-based environmental organisation, Bellona, is an expert on these questions.

Norway monitors the Komsomolets for radiation

He is quoted as saying that as long as the Kursk is left in situ, there should be no risk of leakage.

Yet as the hull is exposed to sea-water over time, we can expect rust to corrode the vessel, and trouble can be expected in about 15-20 years' time.

Russian experts want to remove the submarine from the seabed as quickly as practically possible, and Bellona fears that this could damage the already seriously holed vessel even more.

The risk of serious leakage of radioactivity into the sea would be massive, said Mr Nilsen.

Request to retrieve bodies

Russia has also asked for Norwegian assistance in retrieving the bodies from the Kursk.

This has been tentatively agreed by Stolt Offshore, the company that employs the divers who went down to the Kursk.

Several weeks of planning are needed before this operation can be accomplished.

The second major talking point has been the question of information.

The Russian naval command has been difficult to deal with, according to Norwegian experts.

Russian reporting has been slow, misleading and in some cases government spokesmen have been "economical with the truth", according to the spokesman for Norway's Defence High Command, Major General Per Granhagen. This has slowed the operation.

One example quoted in Thursday's newspapers in Norway is of the limits put on the mini-submersible which went down to the stricken submarine.

It had not been allowed to move more than a few metres either side of the escape hatch, in order to prevent pictures of the bow section of the Kursk being made public.

The Russian claims of a collision being the reason for the wreck are not accepted by Norwegian experts, who blame it on an explosion of ammunition in the torpedo tube area in the front of the submarine.

Co-operation between Russia and Norway is continuing despite these problems.

The Kursk tragedy is clearly forcing a re-think on the part of the Russian authorities, and hopefully they will heed foreign warnings of even more serious consequences if the submarine is raised too soon, and too clumsily.

Norway still has the wreck of the Russian nuclear submarine Komsomolets in mind.

This vessel went down near Bear Island in the Barents Sea 10 years ago.

It is still there, and radio-active leakage is minimal.