Russian ship below US sanctions sinks after engine room explosion

A Russian cargo ship, Ursa Main, sank within the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria after an explosion within the engine room, the Russian International Ministry has confirmed.

In accordance with the assertion, 14 crew members have been rescued and brought to the Spanish port of Cartagena, however two others have been lacking.

The Massive Dipper left the port of St. Petersburg 12 days in the past, in keeping with the Russian information company Interfax.

The ship’s proprietor stated it was en path to Vladivostok within the Russian Far East, carrying two port cranes every weighing 380 tonnes, though the vacation spot couldn’t be independently confirmed.

Ursa Main was in the identical space of ​​the Mediterranean as one other sanctioned Russian ship, the Sparta, when it encountered issues and each ships had been noticed en path to the English Channel final week, apparently below escort.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian army intelligence (HUR) reported that the Sparta was heading to the Russian naval base in Tartus on the Syrian coast to withdraw army gear from Syria following the autumn of Bashar al-Assad.

A Kremlin official stated Monday that Russia was involved with Syria’s new leaders over the way forward for its two army installations. each on the diplomatic and army ranges.

Ursa Main’s proprietor, Oboronlogistika, has been closely concerned in transporting items to Tartous, though the vacation spot introduced on Tuesday was Port Mentioned in Egypt.

On Monday, HUR reported that the Sparta was damaged down off the coast of Portugal, however that the issue had been resolved. Ursa Main was often known as Sparta III, so it was unclear which ship it was referring to.

It’s unclear what triggered the Massive Dipper to blow up because it handed between Oran in Algeria and the Spanish city of Aguilas. Nevertheless, unverified video on Monday confirmed the vessel’s poor listing.

It was inbuilt 2009 and positioned below sanctions after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 because of the shipowner’s function in delivering items to the Russian army.

Oboronlogistika stated the cargo ship, which it described because the flagship of its fleet, carried 45-tonne hatch covers for icebreakers, in addition to giant cranes for the port of Vladivostok.