Spent Nuclear Fuel Removed From Abandoned Soviet-Era Ship in the Russian Arctic

An international cleanup effort has helped remove spent nuclear fuel from a service ship abandoned after an accident in northwestern Russia, according to The Moscow Times.

The Lepse served the Soviet Union’s nuclear icebreaker fleet from 1934 until the 1980s, when it encountered rough seas and spilled highly radioactive waste inside its cargo hold. Decommissioning of the ship began in 2012. The Lepse held 639 damaged and distorted spent nuclear fuel assemblies when it was taken out of service. 

The spent fuels will be transferred to the Mayak nuclear facility in the Chelyabinsk region 3,500 kilometers to the southeast of the Arctic city of Murmansk.