The Russian shipbuilding industry is now feeling the effects of Western sanctions more clearly. According to the latest reports, a major order for urgently needed icebreakers has been cancelled.

Russian media are reporting that the state-owned port operator Rosmorport has cancelled an order for two icebreakers worth over 171 million euros from a Russian shipyard. They had been ordered in July 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine, and were originally due to be delivered in 2024. Sanctions are cited as the reason for the postponement of the delivery date to December 2026 and now for the cancellation of the entire order, as important equipment can no longer be sourced from the West.

The order included two 95-metre-long icebreakers that can break through ice up to 1.5 metres thick. The design included a dual-fuel propulsion system with LNG, as well as a Finnish Wärtsilä generator and Azipods (rudder propellers) from France, both of which are covered by the sanctions.

Russia officially denies the impact of the sanctions and states that it is building up internal capacities to close the gaps in equipment caused by the sanctions.

We may soon find out whether the Russian president gave the US president a hint at the meeting in Alaska on 15 August that he would be prepared to deviate from the maximum demands in the Ukraine war in return for an easing of sanctions.

kdk, Maritime Executive