The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in its engine room, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Crisis Management Center said in a statement on December 24.
"The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, owned by SK-Yug, sank in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in the engine room. Fourteen of the 16 crew members (all Russian citizens) were rescued and taken to the port of Cartagena in Spain's Murcia region. Two people are currently missing," TASS quoted the statement as saying.
According to the Crisis Management Center, staff at the center, as well as at the Russian Ministry of Transport and foreign diplomatic missions, are monitoring the situation.
Spanish newspaper El Espanol earlier reported that a Russian ship had capsized in international waters between Spain's autonomous community of Murcia and Algeria. According to El Espanol, the ship had left St. Petersburg about two weeks ago, heading to the port of Vladivostok, where it was scheduled to dock on January 22, 2025.
Ursa Major is a cargo ship built in 2009.
LSEG ship tracking data shows the ship departed from the Russian port of St. Petersburg on December 11 and was last seen sending a signal at 22:04 GMT on December 23 between Algeria and Spain.
According to LSEG data, the operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistics. Oboronlogistics and SK-Yug declined to comment on the sinking.
Oboronlogistics said in a statement on December 20 that the ship was carrying specialized port cranes for installation in the port of Vladivostok as well as parts for a new icebreaker.
