International
Russian Cargo Ship, Ursa Major Sinks In Mediterranean After Explosion
- Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sinks in the Mediterranean after an engine room explosion; 14 crew rescued, 2 missing.
- The vessel, under sanctions, was transporting cranes and other cargo reportedly bound for Vladivostok.
- Cause of the explosion remains unknown; ship sank near Spain and Algeria on Tuesday morning.
A Russian cargo ship, Ursa Major, has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria following an explosion in its engine room, Russia’s foreign ministry has confirmed.
Fourteen crew members were rescued and transported to the Spanish port of Cartagena, while two others remain unaccounted for.
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The ship departed from St. Petersburg 12 days prior, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. Its owner stated that Ursa Major was en route to Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, transporting two cranes weighing 380 tonnes each for the port. However, this destination has not been independently verified.
Spain’s maritime rescue agency, Salvamento Marítimo, reported finding 14 crew members in a lifeboat and bringing them to safety before a Russian warship arrived to oversee the ongoing rescue efforts.
The Ursa Major was reportedly in the same Mediterranean region as another sanctioned Russian vessel, Sparta, when it encountered trouble. Both ships were spotted transiting the English Channel under escort the previous week.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed that Sparta was heading to Russia’s naval base in Tartous, Syria, to retrieve military equipment in the wake of the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. On Monday, a Kremlin official confirmed that Russia was in contact with Syria’s new leadership to discuss the future of its two military facilities in the country, at both diplomatic and military levels.
The owner of Ursa Major, Oboronlogistika, has played a significant role in transporting cargo to Tartous. However, Sparta’s reported destination on Tuesday was Port Said, Egypt.
Confusion arose as the HUR reported that Sparta had experienced mechanical issues off Portugal earlier this week, though these were reportedly resolved. Given that Ursa Major is also known as Sparta III, it is unclear which vessel the report referenced.
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The cause of the explosion on Ursa Major remains unknown as the ship passed between Oran, Algeria, and the Spanish town of Águilas.
Verified video footage from the tanker Ross Sea, filmed between 12:00 and 13:00 GMT on Monday, showed the ship listing severely. By 01:20 GMT on Tuesday, Ursa Major had sunk.
Built in 2009, Ursa Major was sanctioned after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine due to its owner’s role in transporting military-related cargo. Oboronlogistika described the ship as the flagship of its fleet and stated it was carrying 45-tonne hatch covers for icebreakers in addition to the cranes bound for Vladivostok.
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