Russian ship under US sanctions sinks after engine room explosion

A Russian cargo ship Ursa Major has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in the engine room, the Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed.

It said 14 crew members had been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena, while two others were missing.

The Great Bear left port in St. Petersburg 12 days ago, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

The ship's owner said it was on its way to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, carrying two cranes for the port, weighing 380 tonnes each, although the destination could not be independently confirmed.

Before the Great Bear sank, Spain's maritime rescue agency Salvamento Marítimo said 14 people had been found on a lifeboat and taken safely to Spain, and a Russian warship had since arrived in the area to take over the rescue operation.

The Ursa Major was in the same area of ​​the Mediterranean as another sanctioned Russian ship, the Sparta, when it ran into trouble, and both ships were seen heading across the English Channel last week, reportedly under escort.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that Sparta was heading to the Russian naval base on the Syrian coast in Tartus to move military equipment out of Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

A Kremlin official said Monday that Russia was in contact with Syria's new rulers about the future of its two military facilities. both at the diplomatic and military levels.

Ursa Major owner Oboronlogistika has been heavily involved in transporting cargo to Tartus, although Sparta's announced destination on Tuesday is Port Said in Egypt.

On Monday, HUR reported that Sparta had broken down at Portugal, but that the problem had been fixed. The Ursa Major was also known as the Sparta III, so it is not clear which ship it refers to.

It is not known what caused the Big Dipper to explode as it passed between Oran in Algeria and the Spanish city of Aguilas.

However, video taken by the Ross Sea tanker between 12:00-13:00 GMT on Monday and confirmed by the BBC shows the ship rocking badly.

It eventually sank around 01:20 GMT on Tuesday.

Ursa Major was built in 2009. and has been sanctioned since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. due to the ship owner's role in supplying cargo to the Russian military.

Oboronlogistika said the cargo ship, which it described as the flagship of its fleet, was carrying 45-tonne hatch covers for icebreakers as well as large cranes for the port of Vladivostok.