Russia's Baltic Fleet ready to help Baltics

KALININGRAD, Russia (BNS) - Russia's Baltic Fleet is ready to help Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania clear their waters of mines and assist in preparation of the continental shelf for different projects, acting head of the Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral Vladimir Valuyev said.

"We are ready not only to show where minefields are, but also to take part in clearing the seas of mines and preparation of the continental shelf, so that your countries would prosper, live autonomously, and seamen wouldn't have to fear hitting a mine," Valuyev said in an interview Sept. 8.

The acting fleet commander said that worries connected with chemical weapons submerged in the Baltic Sea after World War II were a common problem for all Baltic Sea countries.

He said that in the next five years corroded shells are likely to fail to contain the chemical charges any longer and that as a result, chemicals will find their way into the sea, which will cause mutations in fish and pose a threat to humans.

An international project to render this time bomb harmless would cost $2.5 billion, compared with a potential damage of $4 billion annually, the vice admiral said.