A modern Russian tug was partially sank to St. Petersburg. A new failure for a fleet affected by Ukraine's blows

A modern Russian naval trailer, launched less than three years ago, has been overturned and partially sank near a Naval Shipyard in St. Petersburg, announced the Directorate for Transport in the Western Interregional Region of Russia.

The Captain Usakov, partially submerged/Photo: x

The incident took place at the Iaroslavl Naval Shipyard, near the Baltic Naval Shipyard. The Captain Usakov ship, intended for missions in frozen and open waters, suffered an flood of the auxiliary compartments, according to the authorities.

Although no victims have been registered, the investigation is ongoing to determine if the safety rules were violated during the construction and arrangement works.

The tug, launched on June 14, 2022, was still in the final construction and equipment phase at the time of the incident. The ship is designed for towing other vessels under difficult conditions, escorting them, extinguishing fires at sea and redemption of failed ships.

With a length of about 70 meters, a width of 15 meters and a 3,200 -ton displacement, Kapitan Usakov is equipped for missions up to 3,000 nautical miles, with a range of 30 days. The ship also includes a heliport.

The incident occurs in a difficult context for the Russian navy, which has registered significant losses from the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine. According to western estimates, about 33% of the Russian Black Sea fleet was destroyed by Ukrainian attacks from 2022. The most notable loss was the Crucier Moskva, the fleet ship, submerged in April 2022.

In this context, Russia recently canceled the annual naval parade organized in St. Petersburg, an event that traditionally marks the Navy Day. The decision was perceived by analysts as a possible reaction to the real losses suffered by the Russian naval forces, at a time when a demonstration of force risked accentuating the existing vulnerabilities.