The end of the Cold War left Russia with a legacy of nearly 200 nuclear submarines in need of dismantling. Much needs to be done by the international community to secure the nuclear fuel on these submarines from both terrorism and proliferation threats, in addition to removing the enormous threat these submarines pose to the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic basin. Canada has been engaged in dismantling de-commissioned nuclear powered submarines since August 2004.

Slide Show

Nuclear submarine
dismantlement

In Depth

Background

The dismantlement of decommissioned Russian nuclear submarines was listed among the priority concerns enumerated by G8 leaders when they launched the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction at the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis.

Under the Global Partnership initiative, the G8 leaders undertook to raise up to US$20 billion to address a number of non-proliferation, disarmament, counterterrorism and nuclear safety issues, initially in Russia.

Canada, for its part, will contribute up to C$1 billion to the Global Partnership over 10 years. The first tranche of Canadian funding was announced in advance of the 2003 G8 Summit in Evian, and those projects are currently being developed and implemented. Included in this first announcement was a contribution to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) program to secure and safely store spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes removed from Russia's Northern Fleet. The second series of projects, announced in 2004, includes over C$100 million for the dismantlement of decommissioned nuclear submarines in Russia's North. This joint Canada-Russia project will involve dismantling three nuclear submarines per year over the next four years (for a total of 12 nuclear submarines). The conclusion of a bilateral agreement with Russia at the Sea Island G8 Summit enables Canada to conduct projects directly with Russia, and the submarine project is the first to be announced under that agreement.

The end of the Cold War arms race left Russia with a legacy of nearly 200 nuclear submarines in need of immediate dismantling. Over the past 10 years, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States have supported Russia's submarine dismantlement process. However, much more now needs to be done by the international community to secure the nuclear fuel on these submarines from both terrorism and proliferation threats, in addition to removing the enormous threat these submarines pose to the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic basin. It is to reduce the threat of both terrorism and proliferation that G8 leaders identified the dismantlement of decommissioned nuclear submarines as a key priority under the Global Partnership

Submarine Dismantlement

Dismantling decommissioned nuclear submarines is a lengthy and expensive process consisting of 14 broad steps. The total cost of dismantling all of Russia's decommissioned nuclear submarines will likely reach several billion dollars.

Canada and its Partners:

In keeping with its commitment to increase global security, Canada is working bilaterally with Russia and multilaterally with its G8 and other interested partners to address the decommissioned nuclear submarine problem in an effective and coordinated manner. Canada is also cooperating with multilateral organizations such as the EBRD, where Canada's contribution will help ensure that Russia's nuclear fleet is safely dismantled and the resulting materials secured against potential terrorism or proliferation threats.

The largest contributor, the United States, is contributing US$10 billion over ten years. Russia is the second-largest contributor to the G8 Global Partnership, with a commitment of US$2 billion over the next 10 years. This is a concrete demonstration of Russia's own commitment to this important global initiative-a true partnership.

Nuclear Submarine Dismantlement