Russian cargo ship 'on military mission for the Kremlin' sinks in Mediterranean after explosion, with two missing
by Kit Heren · LBCBy Kit Heren
A Russian cargo ship that is said to have been carrying out a military mission sank in the Mediterranean after an explosion, with two crew members still missing.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Fourteen crew members on board Ursa Major were rescued after the boat went down between Spain and Algeria on Monday.
The ship was said to have been heading to Syria to pick up Russian military equipment after the fall of Kremlin ally Bashar Al-Assad, according to Ukrainian spies.
The ship was en route from its original port of St Petersburg, and was eventually bound for the far-east Russian city of Vladivostok, according to Russia.
In the Russian official version of events, Ursa Major was carrying equipment that would be used to start building a nuclear icebreaker in the far-east.
Read more: Ship packed with 20,000 tonnes of explosive cargo spotted floating off Kent coast
The 466ft ship was carrying massive 380 tonne cranes that were said to be intended for use in building the icebreaker.
An official statement read: "To ensure the stability of the vessel when performing cargo operations with oversized cargo, containers were loaded onto the lower deck in advance as additional ballast [in a] complex cargo handling operation."
The 14 surviving crew members were rescued by a Spanish patrol boat, with a Russian military vessel also providing assistance.
The crew were taken to the Spanish city of Cartagena.
Ursa Major was owned by Oboronlogistika, a sanctioned Russian military contractor.
The ship itself was sanctioned by the US in March 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ursa Major was frequently used to transport military equipment to Syria.
Russia has withdrawn its troops from the interior of Syria after the fall of Assad. The Kremlin is said to be negotiating with new ruling group HTS over the use of its Mediterranean port Tartus.
The Institute for the Study of War said: "It remains unclear whether Russia will withdraw from coastal Syria".