On September 5, a fire broke out at the Kronstadt Marine Shipyard in the Port of St. Petersburg, Russia. The Soviet-era diesel-powered icebreaker “Admiral Makarov” caught fire while undergoing major repairs in dry dock; the fire raged for about four hours.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the vessel was undergoing repairs at the Kronstadt Marine Shipyard to address severe damage sustained during a previous fire in 2024. That earlier incident also occurred during shipyard maintenance, marking the second time the vessel has caught fire while undergoing repairs within a two-year period.
It is worth noting that the dock area where the “Admiral Makarov” is moored is leased by Kronstadt Marine Shipyard to a third party, and Kronstadt Marine Shipyard does not undertake repair work on the vessel.
Russian authorities have not disclosed the extent of damage to the hull of the “Admiral Makarov”; fortunately, there were no casualties in the incident. The fire is believed to have started in the rudder compartment and quickly spread throughout the ship, affecting an area of approximately 80 square meters.
After the incident, rescue workers took about two hours to bring the fire under control and another two hours to completely extinguish the flames; the fire lasted four hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Records indicate that the “Admiral Makarov” is an R-1039-class diesel-powered icebreaker built by the Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and commissioned in 1975. It belongs to the Soviet-era Yermak class and is 51 years old.
With a total length of 135 meters and a displacement of approximately 20,000 metric tons, the vessel can navigate through 1.5-meter-thick ice at a speed of 2 knots. It has a designed cargo capacity of 100 metric tons and can carry up to 12 passengers and 58 crew members. The vessel was built specifically for autonomous voyages lasting up to three months. To ensure the crew’s comfort during long-term deployments, it is equipped with facilities such as a sauna, a swimming pool, and a gym.
According to Rosmorport, the operator of the “Admiral Makarov,” the icebreaker has been undergoing repairs at a shipyard since February 2025. The work primarily involves repainting the hull and repairs to the main engine and propeller; the engine repairs were originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
The vessel was originally scheduled to be deployed to the eastern Gulf of Finland following the completion of this major overhaul to provide icebreaking support for Russian shipping.