A Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea late Monday night after a blast in its engine room, Russian authorities confirmed. The vessel, Ursa Major, was sailing south of Spain following its passage through the Strait of Gibraltar when the explosion occurred.
According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry crisis center, 14 of the 16 crew members were rescued and taken to a Spanish port. However, two crew members remain missing. The Ursa Major is owned by Oboronlogistika, a shipping company that handles cargo for Russia’s Defense Ministry. This company had been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in 2022.
Spain’s maritime rescue agency verified the sinking, advising ships in the vicinity to be cautious and report any wreckage sightings. Oboronlogistika revealed that the Ursa Major was en route to Vladivostok, Russia, to transport two large cranes for port infrastructure development.
However, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate claimed the ship was actually heading to Syria and had previously encountered issues during its journey. They suggested that the ship had broken down off the coast of Portugal, but the crew managed to fix the problem and continue its route.
A video shared on Russian social media channels, verified by CNN, showed the Ursa Major listing heavily with visible cranes on the deck, hours before it sank. Ukrainian intelligence reports indicated the ship was likely involved in moving military equipment out of Syria, where Russia maintains control of the Tartus port.
Russia had reportedly begun withdrawing significant military assets from Syria, following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. State Department asserts that Oboronlogistika primarily facilitates the transportation, storage, and production of military and special-purpose goods for Russia’s Defense Ministry.
This incident follows a series of recent events, including the damage to two Russian tankers near the Black Sea earlier this month, which led to an oil spill caused by stormy weather.