Admiral Kuznetsov repair must be continued - ex-chief of Russia's Navy General Staff
MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - The repair and upgrades of the heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov must be continued despite the destruction caused by the fire that broke out in the power room, former chief of the Russian Navy's General Staff Adm. Viktor Kravchenko said.
"The necessity of restoring the Admiral Kuznetsov is certainly still in place," Kravchenko told Interfax on Thursday.
The aftereffects of the fire in the power room may be severe, he said. "It is dangerous. Cable routes may be damaged, and this is very serious," Kravchenko said.
However, the metallic structures of the ship's hull are expected not to be strongly damaged despite the large area and the duration of the fire, he said. "The temperature of the fire was high, but nothing could have collapsed there. We will be waiting for results, when the cause is found out and details are revealed," Kravchenko said.