Russia has earmarked more than 3 billion rubles ($39.5 million) for underwater inspections of ships arriving at its Baltic Sea ports following a series of unexplained explosions affecting tankers, the state-owned company Rosmorport announced Wednesday.
According to media, Rosmorport has launched a tender to contract inspections across major ports including St. Petersburg, Ust-Luga, Kaliningrad and others in the Leningrad region.
According to the tender, contractors will be tasked with detecting foreign objects, including explosives, attached to vessels’ hulls.
The inspections will cover propeller-rudder systems, thrusters, bow bulbs and other underwater components.
Work will be conducted using sonar equipment and unmanned underwater vehicles.
Individual inspections are expected to cost between 578,000 to 2.8 million rubles ($7,370 to $35,700) depending on vessel type.
The Rosmorport tender comes as a series of mysterious explosions have affected tankers arriving at Russian ports. Six vessels have suffered explosions after docking at Russian or nearby ports since early 2025.
The most recent occurred on July 6, when an explosion damaged the ammonia tanker Eco Wizard after it docked at Ust-Luga, Russia’s largest Baltic port. The Telegram channel Baza, which is close to Russian law enforcement, reported that sabotage is suspected as the cause of the explosion.
Incidents have occurred as far afield as Libya, Turkey and Italy, often involving tankers carrying oil or chemicals.
Tender applications for the inspection contracts will be accepted through July 24, with results expected on August 4.