On April 8, the Katerina Velikaya, Russia’s specialized icebreaker vessel, caught fire during repair works at the Dalzavod shipyard in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai.
According to international news, the blaze ignited around three in the morning and raged for approximately six hours before firefighters managed to extinguish it. As a result of the fire, one person lost their life, and three others sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Fortunately, the fire has been extinguished, as reported by the the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office.
The Katerina Velikaya, constructed in 2020, is an Icebreaker 7-class vessel specifically designed to navigate the challenging conditions of the Arctic Circle.
It has the capability to break through ice layers up to 2.5 meters thick. The vessel is used for various tasks, including transporting cargo in icy conditions, anchoring onto other vessels, escorting and rescuing ships, responding to oil spills, external fires, and monitoring ice sheets.
Currently, law enforcement agencies are conducting investigative measures to determine the circumstances of the incident.
