A Gigant-4 barge is expected to arrive at the site of the salvage operation in the Barents Sea. The raising of the Kursk will start when it arrives. Work on the fourth compartment, in which the greatest number of holes have been drilled (there are 26 of them in all, with 10 in the fourth compartment), has been completed, reports the headquarters of the Northern Fleet. Hitch baskets have been installed in them. The work of clearing four holes in the third compartment of the Kursk has also been finished. Last afternoon the divers began to install alignment baskets there. Installation of each basket takes five hours. The divers are expected to make two more holes in the fifth compartment, three more in the eighth and seven more in the seventh compartment.

The Gigant-4 barge itself is at the Norwegian port of Kirkenes at the moment. According to specialists, it is supposed to arrive by September 23. The chairman of the committee for investigating the sinking of the nuclear submarine said this week that the lifting phase is expected to begin on September 25.