By Lars Niven and Aileen Robertson

AN OFFER by the Russians to tow away several old nuclear submarines stored at Rosyth Dockyard and dismantle them in their own backyard was shot down by the Ministry of Defence yesterday.

The extraordinary suggestion was made in a letter sent by a senior government official from Archangel to Willie Rennie, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, whose constituency includes Rosyth.

Mr Rennie was so surprised to receive the letter he thought it must be fake, but after checking with his colleagues on the Commons defence select committee he realised the offer was perfectly genuine.

It came from V. Voikov, the vice-governor of Arkhangelsk region, who has sent similar letters to the MPs for Plymouth Devonport, where four more decommissioned submarines are stored.

Mr Voikov invites the MPs to the city to see for themselves the work carried out at the Zvezdochka shipyard.

He states, “Our shared interest results from the fact that the Zvezdochka shipyard in my constituency has been developed by the international community as a major world centre for nuclear submarine dismantling over the past decade.

“The shipyard has now safely, and in an environmentally safe manner, dismantled 31 nuclear submarines. The United Kingdom funded the dismantlement (sic) of two of these submarines at the shipyard in 2004.”

He goes on to add that Canada, the United States, Norway, Italy, Germany and the European Union have all been involved in the dismantling of nuclear submarines in northern Russia. Most of the work, he says, has been carried out at the Zvezdochka shipyard.

“In this regard, an obvious opportunity exists to consider using this infrastructure to assist in addressing the United Kingdom’s nuclear submarine legacy. I would request that this opportunity be given full public examination. In this regard, I extend an invitation for you to join me in a tour of the submarine dismantling facilities this summer,” he concludes.

Mr Rennie told The Courier yesterday he also received a letter from the shipyard’s general director.

“I was a bit surprised to have received them but I think it’s because I’m the MP for Rosyth that they have approached me,” he said. “I couldn’t quite believe they were genuine at first but after doing a bit of checking with my colleagues on the defence committee I quickly realised they were.”

A spokeswoman for the MoD categorically dismissed the idea.

She said, “In accordance with international agreements, MoD would not consider transferring the submarines to Russia for dismantling. Additionally, there is the consideration that a government that is a responsible owner and operator of nuclear submarines should possess the commitment and means to handle their disposal.”

The spokeswoman said the MoD was awaiting the Government’s response to a study carried out by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) before assessing or naming potential sites for storage of nuclear waste from decommissioned submarines.

Seven decommissioned nuclear submarines are currently being held in floating storage at the Fife yard.

The MoD has been trying for years to come up with a long-term solution for their safe disposal but has still to decide what to do with them.

They have all been defuelled but parts of the submarines are still contaminated with varying levels of radioactivity. The reactor compartments, at the heart of each vessel, present the biggest headache.

An independent body set up to look at how to get rid of all of the UK’s radioactive waste has recommended burying it underground. That could include the reactor compartments.

However, no decision has been taken as to where a land dump might be and the submarines are likely to remain at Rosyth and Devonport for the foreseeable future.

As well as the problems surrounding the transfer of nuclear waste, the MoD is unlikely to be impressed at the idea of handing over one of its submarines, albeit decommissioned, to Russia.