A Russian ship that could have sailed to Syria to evacuate Russian bases sank near Spain

The Russian dry cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean Sea between the Spanish city of Aguilas and Algerian Oran after an explosion on board.

Source: “European truth” with reference to the Spanish publication La Verdad

Details: The 14 crew members were reportedly taken to the port of Cartagena by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service. Two people are considered missing.

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According to the publication’s sources, an explosion occurred on the ship at approximately 12:30 on Monday, after which the ship began to roll. This led to the area being marked as dangerous to shipping until the arrival of a Russian warship, which took over the lead of the rescue.

Several vessels fishing in the same area took part in the rescue operation, and later specialists from the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service joined in.

The official ship “Ursa Major” was transiting from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. It left for the route on December 11 and was supposed to arrive on January 22.

The ship’s captain stated that it was carrying containers that were empty at the time of the accident.

However, the Russian publication Mediazon, citing OSINT analysts, reported that five Russian cargo ships recently entered the Mediterranean Sea: three large military amphibious ships and two dry cargo ships belonging to the Oboronlogistika company.

For many years, dry cargo ships “Sparta” and “Ursa Major” carried cargo of the so-called “Syrian Express” – the supply route for Russian troops in Syria.

Analysts assumed that all five ships were intended to evacuate Russian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, Syria.

The press release of the company “Oboronlogistika” stated that the ship “Ursa Major” “departed on another voyage to the Far East with a large project cargo as part of the implementation of state tasks regarding the development of port infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route.” The ship was reportedly carrying port cranes weighing 380 tons each, needed to expand the terminal in Vladivostok, and 45-ton manhole covers for new icebreakers.

Prehistory:

• On December 23, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the cargo ship “Sparta”, which Russia sent to take its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during movement.
• The EU stated that they intend to draw attention to the Russian military presence in the country during the dialogue with the new Syrian government.