The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, previously known as Sparta III, sank off the coast of Spain following an explosion. The vessel had frequently transported equipment and weapons for Russian forces in Syria as part of the so-called "Syrian Express."
The ship sank in international waters in the western Mediterranean, between the Spanish city of Águilas and the Algerian city of Oran. According to the Spanish publication La Verdad, 14 crew members were rescued and brought to the port of Cartagena, while two sailors remain missing.
Sources report that the explosion occurred in the engine room on December 23 at 12:30 local time, causing the ship to list. The accident site was declared hazardous for navigation.
A rescue operation was launched, involving several nearby vessels, the Spanish rescue ship Clara Campoamor, and a patrol boat from the Spanish Navy. The Ursa Major had departed Saint Petersburg on December 11, officially bound for Vladivostok, where it was expected to arrive on January 22.
OSINT analyst Oliver Alexander reported that the ship was carrying two Liebherr 420 mobile cranes and two 45-ton hatches intended for the construction of a new Russian nuclear icebreaker under Project 10510. The loss of these items will significantly delay the project.
The Ursa Major had a long history of transporting cargo for the Russian military, including equipment for operations in Syria.
The Ursa Major was one of five Russian cargo ships: three large military landing ships and two cargo vessels that had recently entered the Mediterranean Sea.
