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Russian cargo ship long used to supply Syria operations sinks in Mediterranean.
The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea in international waters between Spain and Algeria, Spanish outlets La Verdad and El Español reported on December 24.
An explosion occurred in the engine room on December 23, after which the ship issued a distress signal, the publications said. A Russian military vessel led the rescue operation.
Fourteen crew members were rescued and taken to the port of Cartagena, while two remain missing.
The captain of the Ursa Major stated that the ship was carrying empty containers at the time of the incident. It had departed St. Petersburg on December 11 and was officially bound for Vladivostok.
According to Mediazona, the ship had been used for years to transport supplies for Russia’s military operations in Syria.
The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between the Spanish city of Águilas and Algeria’s Oran after an onboard explosion.
Source: Spanish media outlet La Verdad, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The Spanish maritime rescue service transported 14 crew members to the port of Cartagena, but two remain missing.
Several fishing vessels operating in the vicinity initially assisted in the rescue, joined later by specialists from Spain’s maritime rescue service.
Officially, the Ursa Major was in transit from Russia’s Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok. It set sail on 11 December and was scheduled to arrive on 22 January.
The ship’s captain claimed it was carrying empty containers at the time of the accident.
However, Russian outlet Mediazona, citing OSINT analysts, reported that five Russian cargo ships, including three large military landing ships and two cargo vessels owned by Oboronlogistika, had recently entered the Mediterranean.
Both the Ursa Major and the Sparta had long been involved in the so-called “Syrian Express”, a supply route for Russian forces in Syria.
Analysts assumed that all five ships were tasked with evacuating Russian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, Syria.
In a press release from the company Oboronlogistika, it was stated that the ship Ursa Major “embarked on another voyage to the Far East carrying a significant project cargo as part of state tasks aimed at developing port infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route”. According to the information, the vessel was allegedly transporting port cranes weighing 380 tonnes each, intended for the expansion of a terminal in Vladivostok, as well as 45-tonne hatch covers for new icebreakers.
Background:
- On 23 December, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that a cargo vessel, Sparta, sent by Russia to evacuate its military equipment and weaponry from Syria, had broken down on the way in open waters near Portugal.
- The EU previously stated its intention to raise the issue of the Russian military presence in Syria during talks with the country’s new leadership