The ‘KURSK’ Casualty Recovery Project was managed and co-ordinated by Halliburton AS, the Norwegian subsidiary of the international oil service company Halliburton Inc. Halliburton AS are based in Stavanger Norway and offshore operations were carried out from the marine support vessel ‘MSV Regalia’ (left).

With over 10 years of experience and expertise in the field of underwater abrasive cutting services, Oil States MCS was awarded the cutting contract by Halliburton. Oil States MCS provided the High Pressure Abrasive Water Jet cutting system and personnel to operate at the surface from the deck of the ‘Regalia’. The system was connected via a long umbilical hose to nozzles that were mounted to a range of external cutting tools, which were attached by divers to the hull of the submarine.

Originally it had been intended that other mechanical cutting methods might be used for entering the submarine. Following successful pre-mobilisation cutting trials on a specimen of the submarine’s superstructure and pressure hull, it became clear that the Abrasive Water Jet cutting system was the best method to use. In all, 11 cuts were made on the ‘Kúrsk’ using the Abrasive Water Jet cutting system: 3 pressure release holes in the 400 bar (5800psi) ballast air piping system, 4 through the outer superstructure, and 1 pressure release hole and 3 diver entry holes in the pressure hull. The cuts through the outer hull were complicated by the presence of a thick outer skin of elastomer, which called for modified cutting methods. As the project developed, the manipulators and operating procedures were modified to suit the particular conditions of each cut on the ‘Kúrsk’ as they became known, the 1.2m (48”) diameter access hole through the 50mm (2”) thick pressure hull being completed within an hour.