The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation has called on Yaroslavl Shipbuilding to reach a settlement, demanding that the shipbuilder voluntarily compensate for losses related to the capsizing and sinking of the “Kapitan Ushakov,” an ocean-going icebreaker under construction for the Russian Navy. The shipbuilder is required to pay more than 651 million rubles (approximately $8.3523 million).
The incident occurred on August 8, 2025, when the tugboat “Kapitan Ushakov,” while undergoing final outfitting work at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, took on water in the starboard compartment, causing the hull to list severely to starboard. The construction berth where the incident occurred was leased by the Baltic Shipyard from the Yaroslavl Shipbuilding.
After the incident, the project team at the shipyard and emergency response personnel worked through the night but were still unable to right the vessel. It eventually capsized completely in the early morning of August 9, 2025, and ultimately sank to the seabed near its original outfitting dock. Fortunately, there were no casualties as a result of the accident.
Records indicate that the “Kapitan Ushakov” was designed and built based on the Project 23470 ocean-going tugboat, which was introduced in 2014. With a length of 69.75 meters, a beam of 15 meters, and a crew of 33, the vessel has a range of 30 days and a displacement of approximately 3,200 metric tons. It is designed to tow ships, floating objects, and offshore structures in any navigation area, meets Arc4 ice class requirements, and is capable of performing search and rescue and firefighting operations, among other tasks. It is also equipped with a helicopter landing pad.
Construction of the vessel began in 2017 at Yaroslavl Shipbuilding, and it was launched in June 2022. In late 2023, the vessel was transferred to Baltic Shipyard to complete outfitting and other follow-up construction processes; it was originally scheduled to enter service with the Russian Navy by the end of 2025.
Nearly a year after the capsizing incident, salvage operations began in late June 2026 and are reportedly now in their final stages. Once the hull has been successfully refloated, it will be transported to the Yaroslavl Shipbuilding for repairs.
For Yaroslavl Shipbuilding, which has long been struggling financially, a claim for over 100 million rubles will undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to the shipyard.
In March 2026, the Yaroslavl Regional Arbitration Court initiated bankruptcy proceedings against Yaroslavl Shipbuilding on the grounds that the shipyard owed Nakhodka Ship Repair Yard a total of 14.4 million rubles (approximately $184,800) in repair costs. This debt stemmed from repair work on the Russian Navy’s Project 23470 ocean-going icebreaker tug “Kapitan Sergeev.”
Earlier, at the end of 2025, Yaroslavl Shipbuilding had already experienced severe wage arrears due to tax arrears; most employees were unable to receive their salaries on time, forcing some employees to take unpaid leave and causing operations at some plant facilities to grind to a halt.
According to records, Yaroslavl Shipbuilding is one of Russia’s major shipyards, possessing the capabilities to design, build, commission, and retrofit entire vessels. It specializes in high-specification specialty vessels and corrosion-resistant and explosion-proof systems, with its primary business focused on the construction of military and civilian vessels.
In 2019, Yaroslavl Shipbuilding was listed under Western sanctions; in 2022, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensified, Western sanctions were tightened, resulting in comprehensive restrictions on the company’s financing, technology imports, and international orders.