Ramona Adams
The U.S. Navy has halted a proposal solicitation for the commercial recycling of the retired USS Enterprise‘s non-nuclear components.
The military branch said Monday it needs more information to determine an executable and environmentally sound approach for the disposal of USS Enterprise.
The Huntington Ingalls Industries-built nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was decommissioned in February after almost 55 years in active service.
The service branch’s disposal alternatives include commercial recycling of the ship’s non-nuclear parts followed by reactor compartment packaging or commercial recycling of the entire carrier that will involve deconstruction of the eight defueled reactor plants.
The Navy also considers placement of USS Enterprise in intermediate-term storage for a limited period so the service branch could move the disposal path decision for a later date.
The branch said it will assess the potential environmental effects of each disposal alternative and craft an environmental impact statement on the project.
