Russian cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in international waters in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria, two crew members missing
The sinking of the Russian cargo ship “Ursa Major” in the Mediterranean is due to “terrorist attack”the ship’s owning company announced today.
The ship’s owner and operator is SK-Yug, a subsidiary of Russian defense company Oboronlogistics, which said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that it “estimates that a targeted terrorist attack was carried out on December 23, 2024 against the Ursa Major ship “, without mentioning who may have carried out the attack and why.
Yesterday the Russian cargo ship 🇷🇺 “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean Sea in front of Cartagena Spain. Hoy el Gobierno de Rusia says that it was due to explosions and a terrorist attack. 14 persons rescued, 2 missing. NATO and Ukraine extend the war to international waters pic.twitter.com/UCsaEO0DvT
— La Marejada 🌊 (@LaMarejada_Cl) December 25, 2024
“Three successive explosions” were heard, causing “water to enter” the ship, the company said, citing survivors’ accounts.
Oboronloguistika did not explain what evidence it relied on to attribute the sinking of the ship to a “terrorist attack”.
The Russian cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in international waters in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria, and two crew members are missing.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that the sinking of the ship occurred after an “explosion in its engine room”.
Fourteen of the 16 crew members have been rescued and taken to the port of Cartagena, Spain, the ministry added in the statement.
According to LSEG ship tracking data, the cargo ship departed from Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 11 and last signaled yesterday Monday at 22:04 (00:04 GMT) between Spain and of Algeria.
When the “Ursa Major” left St Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call would be Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, not Tartous in Syria where it has docked in the past. In Tartus, in the eastern Mediterranean, there is a Russian Navy base.
Western sanctions have been imposed on Oboronlogistics, according to LSEG.
In a statement on December 20, Oboronlogistics said the cargo ship was carrying special cranes to be deployed in the port of Vladivostok, as well as icebreaker components.
A passing ship captured video on Dec. 23 that shows “Ursa Major” leaning to its right side, with its bow much lower in the water than usual.
The video, the authenticity of which has not been confirmed, was posted on the Russian news website life.ru today. It shows two giant cranes tied to the ship’s deck.
Source :Skai
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