In the United Kingdom, Babcock has begun to demolish the nuclear-propelled submarine Swiftsure, decommissioned from the Royal Navy for over thirty years.
The removal of the fin of the decommissioned submarine Swiftsure, a vessel that was commissioned in 1973 and decommissioned in 1992, marks an important moment in the programme for the dismantling and complete recycling of discarded British nuclear-propelled submarines.
Thanks to the collaboration between Babcock, the Defense Nuclear Enterprise, KDC Veolia Decommissioning Services UK Ltd, and Rolls Royce, the Swiftsure will be the first UK submarine to be completely dismantled by 2026 using a state-of-the-art methodology.
It is expected that 90% of the total weight of the Swiftsure will be recycled, and part of the high-quality steel will be reused to build future Royal Navy submarines.
This work on the Swiftsure constitutes a fundamental step towards a long-term sustainable dismantling programme, providing valuable support to the Royal Navy submarine fleet.
Nuclear Fuel Discharge
Babcock has also announced that it has received a £114 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defense to proceed with nuclear fuel unloading operations from Trafalgar-class submarines that have been decommissioned for several years.
The operations will take place at Babcock’s plant in Devonport in Plymouth, marking a significant milestone in the dismantling project of the UK’s nuclear-propelled submarines.
The contract involves the collaboration of Babcock with the Defense Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) and the main industry partners to prepare for the emptying of four decommissioned Trafalgar-class submarines, with the emptying activities resuming from 2026.
The emptying is a crucial step for the dismantling of submarines and must be carried out before the start of the entire process of decommissioning the vessels.
Source: Babcock
Photo credit: @UK Ministry of Defense and @Babcock
