A Russian cargo ship, the Ursa Major, sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria, leaving two crew members missing, Spanish maritime rescue authorities and the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Tuesday.
The ship’s 14 other crew members were rescued uninjured from a lifeboat and transported to Spain. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the vessel began sinking after an explosion in the engine room.
The Ursa Major was owned by SK-Yug, a subsidiary of Oboronlogistika, a Russian shipping and logistics company affiliated with the Russian defense ministry. The company is under U.S. and European Union sanctions due to its ties to Russia’s military.
Spanish authorities said the ship carried empty containers and two cranes, weighing 380 tons each, bound for Russia’s port city of Vladivostok. However, the exact cause of the accident has not been confirmed.
The incident occurred approximately 57 nautical miles (106 kilometers) from Almería, southeastern Spain, with an alert issued around 1 p.m. Monday. Poor weather conditions complicated rescue efforts as the vessel was reported listing. A nearby Russian warship arrived later that day to assist, but the cargo ship sank by midnight.
The Ursa Major was en route to Vladivostok after departing from St. Petersburg 12 days earlier, as reported by Russian state agency RIA Novosti. Meanwhile, another Russian cargo ship under U.S. sanctions, the Sparta, was navigating the western Mediterranean and headed toward Port Said, Egypt.
While Russian ships often transit the Mediterranean and Suez Canal on this route, alternative paths like the Northern Sea Route through Russia’s Arctic are increasingly utilized, though less so during winter.
Spanish maritime rescue units continued monitoring the area for pollution and removing floating debris to prevent navigation hazards. The Russian embassy in Spain stated it is investigating the incident and liaising with local authorities.
