(KRONSTADT, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA) – The Russian icebreaker Admiral Makarov caught fire on 5th September 2026 while undergoing repairs at the Kronstadt Marine Plant in St Petersburg, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has confirmed.
The blaze started in the steering gear compartment in the aft section of the vessel and spread across approximately 80 to 100 square metres before being extinguished. Preliminary reports indicate no one was injured, with 52 rescuers deployed to tackle the fire.
The Admiral Makarov is not to be confused with the more well known frigate of the same name. This vessel is an icebreaker operated by the Far East Shipping Company and is not part of the Russian Navy.
The ship was undergoing a 23 million rouble overhaul, with an additional 1.5 million roubles allocated for repairs to its main engines. The vessel weighs just over 20,000 tonnes, making it larger than most warships.
In addition to carrying out icebreaker duties, the Admiral Makarov is sometimes chartered out for scientific expeditions. Icebreakers of this class are used to break a path through ice for tankers and cargo ships following behind.
The incident occurred at the Kronstadt naval base repair yard near St Petersburg. This is the same facility where Ukraine destroyed the large corvette Boy earlier this year while it was in dry dock.
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