In the sea off the village of Sørvær lied the stranded Soviet cruiser Murmansk, which ran aground on Christmas
Eve in 1994 after her towlines snapped off North Cape. She was on her way to India to be scrapped at the time.
Due to environmental and logistical concerns, it had to be removed piece by piece. Scandinavia’s largest
demolition contractor, AF Decom, constructed a massive breakwater and dry dock around Murmansk to access
the shipwreck from land and demolish it where it rested. The dock around the wreck was sealed in April 2012.
By mid-May the dock was almost empty of water and the demolishing of the cruiser began. The project was completed
in 2013.