In early June, Large & Associates were engaged by M-S to complete a preliminary assessment of the nuclear hazard and held a number of meetings with RUBIN to discuss and determine the information and data likely to be made available from the RF authorities with respect to radiation and nuclear safety issues. On the basis of this information, Large & Associates was instructed to form and head up the Nuclear Coordinating Group (NCG).
The NCG was headed by John Large of Large & Associates with members Peter Davidson of the UK National Nuclear Corporation (NNC) and Commander Huw Jones of the Royal Navy’s Naval Nuclear Regulatory Panel. Later Alan Martin of Alan Marin Associates was seconded onto the NCG to organize the radiological management regime for the recovery spread (the salvage boats). The NCG had direct access to other consultants in the explosive, weapons and salvage fields. John Large also represented and negotiated with the insurers on behalf of Mammoet-Smit for personnel and equipment cover that was ticketed across a number of underwriters at Lloyds, the United States and Russia.
The role of the NCG was to review and evaluate all relevant aspects of nuclear and radiological safety arising from the M-S recovery operations for all stages of the recovery.
The first task was to ascertain what parts of a nuclear safety case were already in place and evaluate them. It quickly became apparent that there was no structured case in existence on which to build.