SSN Nerpa completes trials – director of USC

04.05.2010 State trials of nuclear-powered submarine Nerpa experienced serious breakdown in 2008 are proceeding to completion, works are carried out on time, said Tuesday Roman Trotsenko, head of United Shipbuilding Corporation meeting with Russian premier Vladimir Putin.

"Speaking of other complicated project of the last year, we're completing state trials of nuclear submarine Nerpa at the Far East. And everything's according to plan so far", said Trotsenko.

On Nov 8, 2008 during first sea trials of SSN Nerpa built at Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk, as a consequence of inadvertent operation of firefighting system LOH (submarine, volumetric, chemical), freon gas started to enter compartments. 20 people died and 21 were intoxicated out of 208 attendants, mostly specialists of the shipyard and experts from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Experts inspected all systems of the sub after the accident but have not found any serious damages. Nevertheless, all sections of compartment which had been polluted by gas needed to be washed off; freon was replaced. Results of investigation carried out by special board are classified. In total, Amur Shipyard expended 1.9 bln RUR on the sub's recovery.

After repair, the sub has successfully passed all required phases of builder's and state trials.

The submarine is expected to be leased to India for 10 years. According to Russian media, the contract value is $650 mln.

SSN Nerpa is a third-generation submarine. Her displacement is 8,140/12,770 tons; maximum speed is 30 knots; test depth is 600 meters; endurance is 100 days; crew is 73. Armament contains four 533-mm torpedo tubes and four 650-mm torpedo tubes. However, torpedoes of this caliber were removed from operational status after accident happened to SSN Kursk in 2000.