Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean after Suspected Act of Terrorism

A Russian cargo ship that encountered difficulties in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday and subsequently sank was reportedly targeted in “an act of terrorism,” according to the vessel’s owner as cited by state news agency RIA on Wednesday.

The ship, named “Ursa Major,” which was built in 2009, sank following a series of three explosions that originated from its engine room, resulting in two crew members out of 16 being reported missing, as confirmed by Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Oboronlogistika, the ultimate owner of the ship and a company affiliated with the Russian Defence Ministry’s military construction operations, stated on Wednesday that the vessel was deliberately subjected to a “terrorist act,” as per RIA’s report.

According to Oboronlogistika, the surviving 14 crew members recounted that three successive explosions occurred on the ship’s starboard side at 1350 Moscow time (1050 GMT) in the aft section on December 23, causing the ship to list significantly as it began taking on water.

The cargo ship was carrying various equipment, including two large port cranes, heavy hatch covers for ice-breaking vessels, empty containers, and roofing equipment, as it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, as confirmed by Oboronlogistika.

Both Oboronlogistika and SK-Yug, the ship’s direct owner and operator listed by LSEG, refrained from commenting on the sinking incident. Notably, these entities were sanctioned by the United States in 2022 due to their ties to Russia’s military, similar to the Ursa Major itself.

Following a distress signal from the Ursa Major on Monday while it was approximately 57 miles off the coast of Almeira, Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service dispatched two vessels and a helicopter to the scene. The 14 surviving crew members were subsequently rescued and transported to the Spanish port of Cartagena.

Ship tracking data from LSEG indicated that the vessel departed from St. Petersburg on December 11 and was last located sending a signal at 2204 GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain, where it ultimately sank.

Despite initially planning to head to Vladivostok, the Ursa Major’s deviation from its course to the Syrian port of Tartous, which it had visited previously, raised suspicions surrounding the incident.

(Reuters – Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn)