“Itarus”, the semisubmersible floating platform built by Fincantieri for the Russian RosRAO, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise for radioactive waste management, was launched today at the shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia), the company said in its press release.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Angelo Fusco, Fincantieri’s Senior Vice President Italy Naval Vessels Business Unit, while Rosatom (the Russian Federation national nuclear corporation) was represented by Oleg Kryukov, Director for Public Policy on Radioactive Waste, Spent Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Decommissioning. Godmother of the ceremony was Rosaria Fausta Romano, General Director of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development’s department for the electricity market, renewables and energy efficiency, nuclear.
The unit’s construction contract was signed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, RosRAO and Fincantieri in November 2013 during the Italy-Russia Business Forum, held in Trieste. It follows the 2003 cooperation agreement between the Russian and Italian government for the decommissioning of nuclear submarines and the safe management of radioactive waste and nuclear fuel, defined within the framework of the Global Partnership, started in the 2002 G8 summit in Canada.
“Itarus”, just over 79 meters long, about 29 meters wide with a deadweight capacity of 3000 tonnes, has been constructed in the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano with the support of the facility of Palermo, supervised by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. The platform will be used for the transportation of nuclear submarine reactor compartments, decommissioned by the Russian Navy, from the storage area of Sayda Bay to the Nerpa Shipyard (and vice-versa), facing the Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea. The vessel’s maximum draught is 24.5 meters, achievable during the cargo docking, by means of 45 ballast tanks for a total capacity of 25,000 cubic meters of ballast water, fed by 4 pumps of 2000 cubic meters per hour capacity.
Moreover the vessel will be equipped with living areas, to host a crew of 6 members on board.