Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sinks off Spanish coast after explosion

A Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria following an engine room explosion, Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society and local media reported late on 23 December.

Some OSINT analysts believe the sunken cargo ship was headed to Syria to evacuate a Russian military base, but its cargo suggests it was actually bound for Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, as claimed in the tracking data. Just over a week ago, Russia lost several civilian ships to a storm in the Black Sea.

El Español says fourteen crew members were rescued and transported to the port of Cartagena, while two remained missing.

The Maritime Safety Society issued a radio notice that Ursa Major sank approximately 70 nautical miles south of Cartagena at position 36-27.50N 000-53.44W at 23:22:30 UTC on 23 December (or 24 December, 01:22:30 Kyiv time). The organization warned about the possibility of shipwreck debris in the vicinity, requesting all vessels in the area to keep a sharp lookout, keep a wide berth, and report any sighting to Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Cartagena.

Video of the Ursa Major just prior to sinking. pic.twitter.com/JQbVpXFv5j
— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) December 24, 2024

El Español reports that the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Center stated in a Telegram post that the vessel, owned by SK-YUG, “sank in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in the engine room.”

According to La Verdad, multiple vessels operating in the area participated in the rescue operation, later joined by the Spanish Maritime Rescue specialists with the Clara Campoamor vessel and the Spanish Navy’s Serviola patrol boat. The area was marked as hazardous for navigation until a Russian military vessel arrived to take charge of rescue operations.

Speaking to La Verdad, the ship’s captain claimed that the vessel was carrying empty containers at the time of the accident. According to vessel tracking data, the Ursa Major departed from Saint Petersburg on 11 December and was scheduled to arrive in Vladivostok on 22 January 2024.

Analyst Alexander Oliver, examining the vessel’s cargo data, noted that the sunken cargo ship was carrying two port cranes and 45-ton hatch covers intended for nuclear icebreaker construction. The loss of this equipment, previously reported by Oboronlogistika, will significantly impact the Vladivostok port and icebreaker construction program.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!