This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-AGENCIES
The Russian cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria following an explosion in the engine room and two sailors are missing, fourteen sailors, out of the 16 crew members that included the ship on board, were rescued and brought back to Spain, the cause of the explosion was not specified… Except that according to the Ukrainian intelligence services, cited by the Ukrainian press, this Russian cargo ship would be used to transport weapons and equipment from Syria.
The El Español news site reported that the crew members were evacuated to the Spanish port of Cartagena and that several ships, including one from the Spanish navy, participated in the rescue.
The ship was due to arrive in Vladivostok on January 22, according to the Spanish media.
When leaving St. Petersburg, the cargo ship had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, and not the Syrian port of Tartous where it called.
According to ship tracking data from LSEG, the vessel left the Russian port of St. Petersburg on December 11 and was last identified sending a signal at 22:04 GMT on Monday, between Algeria and the ‘Spain.
The ship’s operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, which is part of Oboronlogistics, a group that participates in the Russian Defense Ministry’s military construction operations.
the ship “Ursa Major” was placed under sanctions by the United States in 2022 due to its link with the Russian army
The Russian Embassy in Spain, cited by state news agency RIA, said it was examining the circumstances of the sinking and was in contact with Spanish authorities.
