Russia's "one-of-a-kind" modern icebreaker Catherine the Great catches fire In Vladivostok
The first multifunctional supply ship of the reinforced ice class, Catherine the Great, which was first launched by the Russians in 2020 and called unique, burned in Vladivostok, Russia overnight, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation reported on April 8.
Allegedly, the icebreaker caught fire at around 3:00 a.m. at the Dalzavod Ship Repair Center in Primorye. Prosecutors say the fire has already been extinguished.
According to the Russian side, one person died as a result of the fire, and three others are in hospital.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Russian law enforcement agencies are conducting inspections to establish the circumstances of the incident.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Primorsky Krai clarified that when the firefighters arrived, there was smoke coming from the stern of the vessel and smoke in the holds. The fire damaged a technological room over an area of about 50 m².
The Catherine the Great icebreaker was launched only in December 2020. Russia called the vessel unique and assured that it has a good ice class to operate in the Northern Sea Route. It was claimed that the vessel could overcome Arctic ice up to 1.5 meters thick.
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