Russian Aircraft Carrier Damaged as Floating Dry dock Sinks

Russia's sole aircraft carrier suffered extensive damage when a floating dry dock on which the carrier was moored for repair in Murmansk shipyard, sank on Tuesday.

The damage is expected to take six months to fix and is certain to prolong the repairs schedule of the carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov which took part in the operations in Syria and is an essential part of Russia's naval prowess.

The accident occurred when the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov was exiting the dock. Two tower cranes collapsed, with one falling onto the ship.

The crane, which fell on Admiral Kuznetsov, left a hole 4 by 5 meters, but repairs can be done “easily and quickly,” Alexei Rakhmanov, head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti Tuesday.

"This is about repairing metal structures. This is the standard work of our welders, which will take a week and a half," the head of USC noted.

After the accident, the ship was towed to the 35th Ship Repair Yard in Murmansk, where officials reiterated that repairs would stay on schedule, the company said. 

After a power surge, the water pumps shut down, causing the tanks to flood quickly, which plunged the dock into the water, according to the “Zvezdochka” Ship Repair Center. On October 29, Murmansk experienced electrical supply interruptions when snow and ice damaged power lines, the report stated.

According to a report by news agency Sever Post, four people were injured and one person missing when the floating docks sank due to an accident.

Separate operations are planned to recover the dry dock.