Russian Sanctioned Vessel Sinks Following Engine Room Explosion

Russia’s foreign ministry has confirmed the sinking of the Russian cargo vessel, Ursa Major, in the Mediterranean Sea, situated between Spain and Algeria. The incident occurred after an engine room explosion. The ministry reported that 14 crew members were rescued and transported to the Spanish port of Cartagena, while two other individuals from the crew remain unaccounted for. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the Ursa Major had departed from St Petersburg 12 days prior. Its owner stated that the ship was en route to Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, transporting two cranes, each weighing 380 tonnes, intended for the port. However, this stated destination could not be independently verified. Before the Ursa Major’s sinking, Spain’s Salvamento Marítimo, a maritime rescue agency, reported locating 14 individuals in a lifeboat and safely bringing them to Spain. Subsequently, a Russian warship arrived in the vicinity to assume control of the rescue operation. The Ursa Major was located in the same Mediterranean area as another Russian vessel under sanctions, the Sparta, when it encountered difficulties. Both ships had reportedly been observed traversing the English Channel last week, allegedly under escort. Earlier in the current month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) indicated that the Sparta was proceeding towards Russia’s naval base at Tartous on the Syrian coast, with the purpose of relocating military equipment from Syria following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. A Kremlin official stated on Monday that Russia was engaging with Syria’s new leadership regarding the future status of its two military installations, at both diplomatic and military levels. Oboronlogistika, the owner of the Ursa Major, has been extensively involved in shipping cargo to Tartous. Nevertheless, the Sparta’s reported destination on Tuesday was Port Said in Egypt. The marine transport monitoring website LSEG informed the BBC that the automatic identification system (AIS) of the Ursa Major indicated Vladivostok as its destination since December 11, and its most recent port call at Tartous was in July. On Monday, the HUR reported that the Sparta had experienced a breakdown off the coast of Portugal, but the issue had since been resolved. Given that the Ursa Major was previously known as Sparta III, it was unclear which vessel the Ukrainian intelligence was referring to. However, the Sparta itself encountered problems approximately a week ago amidst rough seas off Brittany, in north-western France. Radio France Inter reported that the Russian cargo ship initially failed to respond to French communications on Tuesday, December 17, before eventually acknowledging a problem. The ship’s radio was quoted by RFI as saying: “I’m in trouble. My engines are currently down, the tiller isn’t responding. We’re going to try to repair it in the coming minutes.” After drifting for a period of 61 minutes, the Sparta announced that it had resumed its intended course. The cause of the explosion aboard the Ursa Major remains unknown. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon as the ship navigated between Oran in Algeria and the Spanish town of Águilas. Nevertheless, video footage captured from the tanker Ross Sea between 12:00-13:00GMT on December 23, and verified by the BBC, depicted the vessel severely listing. The ship ultimately sank around 01:20GMT on Tuesday. The Ursa Major, constructed in 2009, was subjected to sanctions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, due to its owner’s involvement in delivering cargo to the Russian military. Oboronlogistika stated that the cargo ship, which it characterized as the flagship of its fleet, was transporting 45-tonne hatch covers for icebreakers, in addition to the large cranes destined for the port in Vladivostok. Additional reporting was provided by BBC Verify’s Josh Cheetham, Paul Brown, and Daniele Palumbo. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.