Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sinks in Mediterranean Sea after explosion

A Spanish rescue service radiogram reported that the Russian bulk carrier Ursa Major, which left St. Petersburg on December 11, sank in the western Mediterranean Sea. According to La Verdad, 14 crew members were rescued and taken to the port of Cartagena, while two more sailors are missing.

"The bulk carrier Ursa Major sank at coordinates 36-27.50N 000-53.44W at 23:22:30 UTC. There may be debris nearby, all vessels in the area should watch closely, keep their distance and report any sightings to the Cartagena Rescue Coordination Center," the radiogram said.

La Verdad reports that 14 sailors were rescued by the rescue service and taken to port. The ship sank in international waters between the Spanish town of Águilas and the Algerian city of Oran.

According to the newspaper's sources, an explosion occurred on board at 12:30, causing the vessel to capsize. The accident area was marked as dangerous for shipping until the arrival of a Russian warship, which was to take over the rescue operation.

Analyst Oliver Alexander wrote that the ship was carrying two Liebherr 420 mobile cranes for the port in Vladivostok and two 45-ton hatches for the construction of a new Project 10510 nuclear icebreaker.

In May 2022, the US imposed sanctions on the Ursa Major company, which is involved in transporting military equipment for Russian troops in Syria. The vessel is owned by the sanctioned Russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, which is a subsidiary of the also sanctioned Russian Oboronlogistika LLC.

• On December 15, 2024, Russian propagandists reported that the tanker Volgoneft 212 of the aggressor state was in distress eight kilometers from the coast near the Kerch Strait.
• Later, the Russians announced that another tanker, the Volgoneft 239, had begun to sink (details and video here). Later, a video appeared showing a floating crane sinking due to a storm off the coast of temporarily occupied Yalta.
• On December 17, it was reported that another Volgoneft tanker had sunk.
• On December 23, the Ukrainian military intelligence reported that the Russian cargo ship Sparta, which was sent to transport weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down while underway after a fuel pipe in the main engine failed.