Russian authorities have begun the salvage effort on the sunken Russian Navy tug Kapitan Ushakov at Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg.
Temporary restrictions on vessel traffic are now being enforced at the Port of Saint Petersburg to ensure the safe execution of the recovery effort. The restrictions were imposed at 00:00 local time on Tuesday, June 23, and are expected to be lifted at 09:00 on Thursday, June 25.
The Saint Petersburg harbour master clarified that the restrictions apply to all ships. These include vessels of other nationalities or even of other Russian agencies not directly involved in the salvage.
Kapitan Ushakov belongs to the Project 23470 series, which are being developed as icebreaking tugs for use by the Russian Navy.
The tug sank while she was still under construction at Baltic Shipyard on August 8, 2025. The tug was undergoing final outfitting when one of her compartments suffered water ingress, causing her to tilt heavily to starboard. This then resulted in her capsizing and sinking the following morning.
The tug eventually settled to the seabed near the jetty where she had been undergoing outfitting. No injuries were reported.
Yaroslavl Shipyard had leased the berth at Baltic Shipyard where construction of the tug was then taking place.
An initial probe revealed that the water ingress that resulted in the capsizing had originated in the auxiliary engine room. The tug then gradually tilted as the flooding worsened.
A criminal investigation into the incident is meanwhile ongoing.
Construction of Kapitan Ushakov began in 2017. The tug was originally scheduled to enter service with the Russian Navy at the end of last year.