Explosion on Russian Icebreaker Undergoing Repairs Injures Two Workers

Russian officials confirmed reports that two workers carrying out repairs at the Kanonersky shipyard were burnt during an explosion. They were working on the icebreaker Kapitan Kosolapov as Russia was preparing for the winter ice breaking season in the eastern Baltic.

The two workers were welders sent to repair a fuel tank leak aboard the icebreaker which was built in 1976. According to the media outlet 78.ru the workers were at the bottom of the fuel tank and had rearranged the fuel lines while making repairs. A spark from the welding equipment caused an explosion on Sunday afternoon, October 6.

Both workers suffered severe burns to their hands and faces. They however were able to make their way out of the tank. They were both taken to a hospital.

The St. Petersburg Investigative Department confirmed the incident and said they were conducting a “pre-investigation check” to determine the facts.

The vessel was one of three built by the Wartsila Shipyard in Finland for Russia in 1976. The vessel originally sailed for the Azov Shipping Company and was later transferred to Rosmorport. Since 2021, it has been part of the North-Western Basin Branch Icebreakers, a fleet of 14 vessels that meet the requirements of work in ice conditions of the Baltic Sea. Kapitan Kosolapov is a diesel-powered icebreaker with an ice-class four hull capable of operating in field ice up to 1 meter thick at speeds of 2 knots. Its navigation is restricted to within 50 miles of the coast but it is part of a critical fleet used to keep the port of St. Petersburg operational in the winter months.

Work was preparing the fleet for the upcoming ice breaking season. It is the second icebreaker damaged during a shipyard incident in 2024. In February, the icebreaker Ermak, built by Wartsila in 1974, was damaged by another welding incident while also undergoing repairs at a St. Petersburg shipyard. Reports were that it took eight hours to bring the fire under control.