Russian cargo ship on ‘Syria military mission’ sinks off coast of Spain after engine room explosion

A Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in its engine room, with two crew members still missing.

The Russian foreign ministry confirmed that 14 of the vessel’s 16 crew members were rescued and brought to Spain following the incident.

The Ursa Major, previously known as Sparta III, was last seen sending a signal at 10.04pm GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.

The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry’s military construction operations.

The vessel had departed from the Russian port of St Petersburg on 11 December, indicating Vladivostok as its next port of call.

Oboronlogistika said in a statement on 20 December that the ship was carrying specialised port cranes destined for installation at the port of Vladivostok.

The cargo also included parts for new ice-breakers, with two giant cranes visible strapped to the deck in unverified video footage.

Spanish news outlet El Espanol reported the vessel had been due to arrive in Vladivostok on 22 January.

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The Ursa Major was sanctioned by the US in 2022 and is believed to have been used to transport military equipment for Russian troops in Syria.

The ship previously called at the Syrian port of Tartus, a Russian navy stronghold that Moscow recently abandoned.

SK-Yug, the ship’s operator and owner, is part of Oboronlogistics, which declined to comment on the sinking.

Ukraine’s military intelligence reported earlier on Monday that the ship, also known as the Sparta, had “broken down” off the coast of Portugal due to a fuel pipe failure in the main engine.

Video footage captured by a passing ship on December 23 showed the Ursa Major heavily listing to its starboard side, with its bow much lower in the water than usual.

Several vessels, including a Spanish Navy ship, took part in rescuing the crew members.

The rescued crew were evacuated to the Spanish port of Cartagena.

The area of the wreck was declared dangerous for shipping until the arrival of a Russian military vessel that took charge of rescue operations, according to Spanish news outlet La Verdad.

The Spanish Navy patrol boat later joined the rescue efforts.

The 466-foot vessel was carrying two huge cranes weighing 380 tons each, intended for the construction of a modern nuclear icebreaker.

Russian officials described this as a key ‘state task’ and noted special preparations had been made for the cargo.

“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,” an official statement read.