The Kursk submarine arrived back in Murmansk on 10 October having been lifted from the seabed by a team led by Dutch heavylift specialist Mammoet. The Russian nuclear submarine sank in the Barents Sea on 12 August 2000 after two on-board explosions.
The vessel was finally lifted to the surface after a 15 hour operation using 26 steel cables that had been attached to holes made in the hull. The Giant 4 recovery barge, owned by Smit, Mammoet’s partner in the project, pulled the submarine to the surface using massive hydraulic strand jacks more usually seen on the Mammoet Sliding Gantry system. Once lifted, the barge dragged the Kursk home to Russia.
The lifting operation was originally due to be completed by 15 September, but poor weather and technical problems pushed back the completion date.
