Unfinished: Tugboat "Kapitan Ushakov" sank, "Kapitan Sergeev" delayed for two years

In the 2010s, the Russian Navy ordered project 23470 sea tugs. The vessels are being built at the Yaroslavl Shipyard. The tugs have an Arc4 ice class, which allows them to operate in freezing seas.

The construction of project 23470 tugs is based on a design developed by JSC "CDB "Baltsudoproekt". Initially, the vessels were built using foreign components, but then the projects were redesigned for domestic components, which led to delays in delivery.

On Friday, August 8, the tugboat "Kapitan Ushakov" of this project in the port of St. Petersburg at some point began to list to starboard, which flooded the auxiliary machinery room. All night, factory workers and rescuers tried to level the vessel, but on Saturday, August 9, it became known that thetugboat sank.

The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the article on violation of safety rules during construction work. It is specified that there were no casualties as a result of the incident. Preliminary damage is estimated at over 1 million rubles.

The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation have not yet commented on the situation with "Kapitan Ushakov".

What is the purpose of the project 23470 tugboat:

Multipurpose vessels are mainly designed to remove ships from shoals, but they also have other important functions:

• Performing sea tows

• Piloting vessels in port waters and berthing

• Firefighting on floating and coastal facilities

• Escort operations in the open sea and in ice

Several project 23470 tugs have already joined the Russian Navy and are in service. In particular, the tugs "Sergey Balk" and "Kapitan Nayden" are listed in the Black Sea Fleet, they entered service in 2018 and 2022, respectively. "Andrey Stepanov" was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in 2020.

Characteristics of project 23470:

• Length overall - 69.75 m

• Maximum width - 15 m

• Maximum draft - 5.2 m

• Displacement - 3200 t

• Load capacity - 200 t

• Autonomy in terms of food supplies - 30 days

• Cruising range (at a speed of 14 knots) - 3000 miles

• Bollard pull - 80 t

Yaroslavl plant did not deliver the tugboat "Kapitan Sergeev" on time

In February 2025, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation demanded through the court that YaSZ pay compensation for the two-year delay in the transfer of the fourth tug of this project, "Kapitan Sergeev". The damage was estimated at 1.5 billion rubles. As of August 2025, information on the transfer of the vessel to the military department has not yet been received.

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