Russian cargo ship sinks 'after explosion' in the Mediterranean while 'on military mission to Syria'
Russian cargo ship sinks 'after explosion' in the Mediterranean while 'on military mission to Syria'
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A sanctioned Russian ship with a mystery cargo has sunk in the Mediterranean after an on board explosion. Fourteen crew members were reported to have been rescued, while two are still said to be missing. Ukrainian military intelligence and Spanish sources suggested the Ursa Major was heading to Syria to transport Russian military equipment which is being pulled from the country following the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
![[The Russian vessel Ursa Major with a mystery cargo on board sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450319-14223807-image-a-18_1735027359603.jpg)
Russian sources claim that it was heading to Vladivostok, carrying huge cranes weighing 380 tons each, intended for the construction of a modern nuclear icebreaker, described as a key 'state task'. '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 [in a] complex cargo handling operation,' an official statement read.
![[Fourteen crew members were reported to have been rescued, while two are still said to be missing]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450329-14223807-image-a-17_1735027352945.jpg)
Both versions may be true - and it may have been due to call at Tartus in Syria, a Russian naval base under the Assad regime, to collect cargo bound for naval port Vladivostok. Footage showed how the vessel started listing after its engines 'exploded'. The Russian vessel Ursa Major with a mystery cargo on board sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria.
![[Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 24, 2024]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93144107-14223807-Russian_President_Vladimir_Putin_attends_a_meeting_with_Syrian_P-a-30_1735028144960.jpg)
Fourteen crew members were reported to have been rescued, while two are still said to be missing. The 466ft Ursa Major sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria on Monday, just after midday. Footage showed how the vessel 'began listing' - or tilting to one side - after 'its engines exploded' in the Strait of Gibraltar.
![[A second cargo vessel - Sparta, and visually similar to Ursa Major - was drifting off the coast of Portugal after suffering a technical problem]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450321-14223807-image-a-16_1735027315618.jpg)
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