Article Posted on : - May 14, 2009

A file photo of Russian Akula submarine

VLADIVOSTOK (BNS): Russia’s nuclear-powered submarine Nerpa, which was damaged in a fatal accident during previous tests, will conduct new sea from trials June 15-20.

Quoting general director of the Amur shipyard Nikolai Povzyk Kommersant, Kommersant daily on Wednesday said, repairs on board the submarine were almost complete and the Nerpa, which is due to be leased by the Indian Navy, could be ready by the yearend if the project received sufficient financing.

India has reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton Nerpa nuclear attack submarine.

The K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine met with an accident on November 8 last year while the submarine was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan. Twenty submariners were killed when its on-board fire safety system went off, releasing poisonous gas into the sleeping quarters.

The accident was the Russian Navy's worst since the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in 2000, which claimed the lives of all 118 personnel on board. An investigation has supported the conclusion that the tragedy was caused by the mishandling of a temperature sensor on board which led to deadly Freon gas being released.

Submariner Dmitry Grobov has been charged with "involuntary manslaughter" for entering the wrong temperature data for the submarine's living quarters, which caused the fire suppression system to release the Freon gas, Ria Novosti said.