A Dutch consortium preparing to raise the sunken Kursk submarine expects to hoist it to the surface around Sept. 23-25 -- more than a week behind the original target date, its representative said Monday.

"We expect that the actual lifting will be around Sept. 23-25," said Larissa van Seumeren, a spokeswoman for the Mammoet-Smit International consortium, which is working on a $65 million contract with the Russian government.

Russian officials also have said that the lifting, originally planned for Sept. 15, could be postponed because of rough weather that had delayed earlier work. Some observers say the weather in the Barents Sea is now only going to get worse as autumn descends, and could thwart the effort altogether.

The seas were calm Monday, allowing the consortium to continue work to sever the Kursk's mangled first compartment. Organizers hope the cutting will be completed by Wednesday.