Russian Cargo Ship Mysteriously Explodes

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea exploded between Spain and Alegria.

Russian authorities reported the vessel was en route to the Russian port of Vladivostok when an explosion went off in its engine room.

Russian Foreign Ministry revealed 14 of 16 of the crew members were rescued, but two are still missing.

The Ursa Major was built in 2009 and is controlled by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion in engine room

On 11 December 2024, Ursa Major left St Petersburg for Vladivostok. It's winter, so the only way to get to Vladivostok is via the Suez Canal. Her cargo included two 45-ton hatches for a Project 10510… pic.twitter.com/Bo7jrqriAd

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) December 24, 2024

Here’s what Reuters reported:

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea overnight after an explosion ripped through its engine room and two of its crew are still missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

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The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea overnight after an explosion ripped through its engine room and two of its crew are still missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.

🇷🇺 Details of the sinking of the Ursa Major ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

Russian sources claim sabotage: "The ship was carrying a commercial project cargo from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok with two heavy Liebherr portal cranes, hold covers for a nuclear submarine under… pic.twitter.com/QknaMWEnnq

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) December 24, 2024

Check out what The Guardian reported:

An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian foreign ministry has said.

The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian defence ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far-eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.

The foreign ministry’s crisis centre said in a statement that 14 of the ship’s 16 crew members had been rescued and brought to Spain, but that two crew were still missing. It did not say what had caused the explosion.

Russia’s embassy in Spain was cited by the Russian state RIA news agency as saying it was looking into the circumstances of the sinking and was in touch with the authorities in Spain.

Oboronlogistika and SK-Yug, a company LSEG lists as part of the group and the ship’s direct owner and operator, declined to comment on the sinking. Both entities were placed under sanctions by the US in 2022 for their ties to Russia’s military as was the Ursa Major itself.

Unverified video footage of the ship heavily listing to its starboard side with its bow much lower down in the water than usual was filmed on 23 December by a passing ship and published on Russia’s Life.ru news outlet on Tuesday.

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Spain’s maritime rescue service said it received a distress signal from the Ursa Major on Monday when it was located about 57 miles off the coast of Almería. It said it had contacted a ship nearby, which reported bad weather conditions, a lifeboat in the water, and said the Ursa Major was listing to the starboard side.