Do you know how many ship wrecks lie at the bottom of the sea? As a rule, their disposal poses a significant problem. Recently, off the coast of Sakhalin, work began on raising sunken ships using a mobile laser complex created by specialists from the Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Thermonuclear Research (JSC State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation TRINITY), part of the state corporation Rosatom.
Ships up!
The work that started in the area of the city of Korsakov is being carried out jointly by Rosatom and the Russian marine engineering company Tazmar Maritime. The laser complex used by specialists allows us to speed up the process of removing industrial waste accumulated at the bottom of reservoirs. The device can separate metal structures up to 260 mm thick at a distance of up to 300 m.
The use of laser technologies allows you to quickly “disassemble” an object into large fragments. But the most important thing is that the work is carried out remotely. It’s important to ensure the safety of personnel, since with close physical contact with disposal objects, the risk of emergency situations is quite high – explosions, contamination, accidents, etc.
It took about a week to dispose of the first object. Using a laser, it was possible to cut a ship that sank 50 meters from the shore. Underwater cutting of the ship’s hull, located at a depth of about 4 meters near the pier, was also carried out. Once the underwater work was completed, the process continued on land.
Within two years, it is planned to dismantle 16 ships located in the Sakhalin region. In total, 68 sunken ships will have to be dealt with in this way, including in the Kamchatka, Primorye and Magadan regions. By the way, according to regional statistics, territory of the Russian Federation has more than 250 sunken ships available for recovery from the coastline.
A mobile laser complex will help dispose of sunken ships off the coast of Sakhalin, in the Kamchatka region, Primorye and the Magadan region
Photo: Rosatom
High quality and safety
As Kirill Ilyin, General Director of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation TRINITI, told Gazeta o Rossii, the device developed by the institute’s team has no analogues in the world.
“ This is a very important environmental project on a national scale, ” Ilyin commented. – Usually, lifting ships that have lain underwater for a long time is a rather difficult task. This requires bulky special equipment and a lot of technological and human resources. The laser complex we have developed will help not only effectively solve the problem of recycling, but also save resources. Moreover, it can be used in a wide variety of industries, for example, when eliminating man-made accidents or carrying out any operational technological work.
According to the head of the Tazmar Maritime ship lifting project on Sakhalin Island, Andrey Trubitsyn, the Rosatom Corporation’s approach to business is socially responsible and highly professional.
“Scientific and technical expertise and operational project management are combined here, thanks to which work is completed on time and at a high quality level, and environmental safety is ensured ,” Trubitsyn emphasized.
Why is spring cleaning necessary?
But why raise ships at all, and even in such a high-tech way?
Let’s start with the fact that on the territory of Russia there are many objects that can pose an environmental, chemical, and radiation hazard. These are various types of landfills, disused man-made objects, abandoned landfills and industrial enterprises. Sooner or later they begin to have a negative impact on the environment and the health of live stock and creatures nearby.
Since the problem is quite serious and requires a solution as soon as possible, in 2021, on behalf of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the federal project “General Cleaning” was approved, included in the state program “Environmental Protection”. The main goal is the elimination of environmentally hazardous facilities throughout Russia.
Funds will be allocated to the regions on co-financing terms: in 2022-2024, 20 billion rubles are planned in the federal budget for “General Cleaning” activities. These funds will be used to conduct an inspection of the facilities and an analytical assessment of their impact on the environmental situation. Based on the results of the analysis, decisions will be made on the liquidation of facilities that cause the greatest harm to the environment. These are primarily landfills, oil sludge pits and chemical storage tanks. In addition, work has already begun to liquidate 60 abandoned wells in the Krasnodar Territory.
Usually, if there are unauthorized landfills, radioactive objects or chemical production waste somewhere, the local population, as a rule, begins to sound the alarm and contact various authorities with a demand to eliminate dangerous “points”. With other objects, everything is not so obvious.
Man-made accidents may not have obvious, noticeable consequences. The sunken ship sinks to the bottom and may not be perceived as garbage by local residents and authorities. Meanwhile, even if the ship did not transport dangerous cargo (oil and chemical products, radioactive and other substances that could get into the water and poison it), risks still exist.
For example, over time, the metals that make up the ship enter into chemical reactions with water or air, corrosion processes occur, which changes the composition of the environment. Poisonous gases may even be released. Unsafe substances have a detrimental effect on plankton, aquatic flora and fauna. People and animals that consume, for example, fish from this area or swim in these areas are at risk.
Work on raising sunken ships using a mobile laser complex created by specialists from the State Research Center of the Russian Federation TRINITY
Photo: tazmar.com
Another factor is that ship remains often attract curious people. Often such objects become places of “pilgrimage” for children, teenagers and young people. There will certainly be “treasure hunters” who will want to enter the wrecked ship for the purpose of profit, because various things, valuables, technical devices may remain there…
As in the cases with various abandoned buildings, such “voyages” pose a direct danger to life, since already damaged structures will very likely simply collapse under mechanical impact. And the person on board may be injured. A fatal outcome cannot be ruled out. Therefore, in order to avoid dramatic situations, measures should be taken to eliminate such objects.
In the future, sunken ships can not only be brought to the surface, but also utilized for recycling.
The use of advanced, especially safe technologies, will significantly simplify the disposal procedure and make it possible even in cases where it is difficult to reach the object. Which, in fact, is what we observe in the example of Rosatom.
Irina Shlionskaya