Fire breaks out on ex-Soviet aircraft carrier in Nantong, China

A decommissioned Soviet Navy aircraft carrier that had been converted into a floating tourist attraction in China suffered significant damage after a fire ignited on board on Friday, August 16.

The incident on the former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier Minsk occurred at around 16:00 local time on Friday while it was undergoing renovations in a lagoon near the Yangtze River in the city of Nantong in Jiangsu province.

State-run news outlet China National Radio said that the fire on Minsk was extinguished approximately 24 hours later and that no injuries have been reported. However, photographs of the aftermath of the incident showed extensive damage to the superstructure and charred hull segments near the stern.

Built as one of only four Kiev-class carriers, Minsk was operated by the Soviet Navy from 1978 to 1991 and then by the Russian Navy from 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The ship was retired from Russian service in 1993 and then sold to a South Korean company for scrapping. The dismantling did not proceed, and the carrier was later acquired by a Chinese company.

The ship again changed hands in China and was eventually handed over to a local developer, which had decided to turn it into the main attraction of a military theme park in Shenzhen. The Minsk World park opened in 2000 but ceased operating in 2016 due to low visitor numbers.

The carrier was then towed to Nantong, where it was to be renovated before being installed in a different theme park there. However, officials have not provided updates on whether the damage caused by the fire can still be repaired to allow the ship to once again be operated as a tourist attraction.