Russia says its rusting fleet could poison Arctic

Russia issued a stark warning yesterday about the "dilapidated" condition of dozens of navy ships along its eastern and Arctic coasts, where tons of spent fuel from the ageing submarine fleet is stored.

In a rare insight into the Russian administration's own fears about the condition of its fleet, Viktor Akhunov, head of the department of ecology and decommissioning at Minatom, the Russian atomic energy ministry, said yesterday that corrosion on the hulls of 39 ships posed the "greatest danger" to the environment and security of the region. [read more]