Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria following an engine room explosion, Russia's foreign ministry confirmed. Fourteen crew members were rescued and transported to the Spanish port of Cartagena, while two remain missing.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, the ship departed St. Petersburg 12 days ago. Its owner stated that the vessel was en route to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, carrying two cranes weighing 380 tonnes each for the port. However, this destination has not been independently verified.
Before the Ursa Major sank, Spain's maritime rescue agency, Salvamento Marítimo, reported that 14 crew members were found on a lifeboat and safely transported to Spain. Shortly afterward, a Russian warship arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue operation.
The Ursa Major was in the same Mediterranean area as another sanctioned Russian vessel, the Sparta, when it encountered trouble. Both ships had been seen traveling through the English Channel last week, reportedly under escort. Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) claimed that Sparta was heading to Russia's naval base in Tartous, Syria, to retrieve military equipment following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
On Monday, a Kremlin official stated that Russia was in discussions with Syria's new leadership regarding the future of its two military facilities, addressing both diplomatic and military concerns.
The Ursa Major's owner, Oboronlogistika, has been involved in transporting cargo to Tartous, though reports indicate Sparta was en route to Port Said in Egypt on Tuesday. According to marine transport monitoring site LSEG, the Ursa Major's automatic identification system (AIS) had been set to Vladivostok as its destination since December 11. The ship's last recorded visit to Tartous was in July.
On Monday, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that the Sparta had experienced a breakdown off the coast of Portugal, but the issue was subsequently resolved. Confusion arose because the Ursa Major was previously known as Sparta III, making it unclear which vessel the Ukrainians were referencing.
Complicating matters further, the Sparta faced additional difficulties a week earlier in rough seas off Brittany in northwestern France. According to Radio France Inter, the Russian cargo ship initially failed to respond to French communications on December 17 but later acknowledged it was experiencing technical problems.
