Russian ship under US sanction sunk in ‘act of terrorism’, says owner
Russian ship under US sanction sunk in ‘act of terrorism’, says owner
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Three explosions ripped through the engine room of Ursa Major before it sank off the Spanish coast, says the owner which is linked to Russia’s defence ministry. A Russian cargo ship that sank after an explosion ripped through its engine room was a victim of an “act of terrorism”, the vessel’s owner has said.
The Ursa Major cargo ship went down in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain on Tuesday, leaving two of its 16-person crew missing, according to Russia’s foreign ministry. The vessel, built in 2009, had been placed under sanction by the United States for its ties to Russia’s military after the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that Oboronlogistika, the company which owns the cargo ship, said in a statement that the vessel had been targeted in "a terrorist act”. The company, which is part of the Russian defence ministry's military construction operations, said the 14 crew members located had reported consecutive explosions on the ship at 10.50am.
The vessel was reportedly carrying two giant port cranes on its deck with their loading buckets, two heavy hatch covers for ice-breaking vessels, 129 empty containers, and a 20-foot container with roofing equipment. Oboronlogistika had said that the ship had been en route to the Russian far-eastern port of Vladivostok.
