Floating Crane Catches Fire at Russian Ship Repair Yard
On Tuesday, a major fire broke out at a small ship repair yard in Nizhy Novgorod, a city on the Volga in western Russia.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia reported that a fire damaged a floating crane at the Borskaya Ship Repair Company, a commercial river-sea freighter repair yard. Fuel spilled from the vessel and burned over an area of about 1000 square feet, the agency said.
Photos provided by the ministry show firefighters applying foam in quantity to smother the fuel fire and extinguish the flames. The extent of the damage to the vessel was not reported.
The Volga Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a social media post that the fire started during routine work at the yard. Bystanders reported the sound of an explosion prior to the fire, according to local accounts.
In Nizhny Novgorod, a very expensive Russian ship specialized in repairing other Russian ships will no longer be repairing anything anymore, on grounds of having just exploded and burned down. pic.twitter.com/vh0edGVpt3
— Daractenus (@Daractenus) December 23, 2025
????? ?????? ????????? ????? ??????? ????????? ??????? «??????? ????????????? ????????».#NizhnyNovgorod #BreakingNews #RussiaNews #ShipFire pic.twitter.com/rPuRSw95Pb
— vesti.az (@vesti__az) December 23, 2025
Images courtesy Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations
Though online speculation has hinted at a Ukrainian attack or an act of sabotage, the blaze may well be accidental, as is common during shipyard work.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the fire, and Nizhy Novgorod is located about 500 miles from the Ukrainian border - an inconvenient distance for a drone strike. Ukrainian forces have hit the region before, according to the Kyiv Independent, but only for a high-value target: a refinery operated by Russian oil major Lukoil. The Borskaya yard - also known as the Bor Repair and Operation Base - is a regional repair division of Volgaflot, and its assets have comparatively limited strategic relevance.
Volgaflot is subject to EU sanctions for its involvement in transporting Russian oil and oil products by sea. Its owner, Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin, is sanctioned by Ukraine, Canada and Australia, but not by other western powers.