Brand new Arctic military tug capsized at pier
The Kapitan Ushakov was supposed to an important part of Russia's military presence in the Arctic.
The Northern Fleet can forget about taking delivery of its new ocean going tug as the vessel capsized and sank at pier of the Baltic shipyard this weekend.
The Kapitan Ushakov is built at the Yaroslav shipyard on the banks of the Volga river, but was berthed alongside a pier at the Baltic shipyard in St. Petersburg for final outfit when the accident happened.
A criminal investigation is launched to find out if any safety regulations are violated, the Western Investigative Department for Transport informed.
"As a result of the incident, the auxiliary machinery room was flooded. There were no casualties. The amount of damage is being determined," the department said.
The Kapitan Ushakov was supposed to be the first of tugboats in the Project 23470 class to be delivered to the Northern Fleet. Two similar vessels are sailing for the Black Sea fleet and one for the Pacific Fleet.
Several more are under construction.
To be based in Severomorsk, the now sunken vessel would serve the naval bases on the Kola Peninsula as well as the Northern Sea Route and remote Arctic military bases.
In 2023, the state-controlled newspaper Izvestia noted that Kapitan Ushakov will be "an important element of ensuring the Russian military presence in the Arctic."
"In addition to ensuring navigation, it will, if necessary, be engaged in the transportation of material supplies to remote Arctic garrisons," according to the Izvestia article.
With the auxiliary machinery and most other rooms onboard now flooded with salt water, it can take years of repair before the vessel can set sail for the north.
