A ship from Russia sank off the coast of Spain, with valuable cargo and some crew members reported missing (photos included).

The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major was transporting two mobile cranes for a port and two 45-ton hatches for a new nuclear icebreaker. Unfortunately, an explosion prevented the vessel from delivering its cargo to the intended destination.

https://focus.ua/world/685260-korabl-iz-rf-ursa-major-zatonul-propal-cennyy-gruz-foto2024-12-24 07:42:28

Off the coast of Spain, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank while transporting hatches for a nuclear icebreaker to Vladivostok. This was reported by OSINT analyst Oliver Alexander on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

According to the analyst, the cargo ship was carrying two Liebherr mobile cranes for the port of Vladivostok due to its heavy congestion caused by a shortage of cranes. The two 45-ton hatches were intended for the construction of a new nuclear icebreaker of project 10510.

ледокол, атомный ледокол, ледокол проекта 10510

The loss of the cranes due to the ship's explosion will significantly impact loading and unloading times at the port of Vladivostok, and the loss of the hatches will greatly delay the construction of the icebreaker, the researcher emphasizes.

Initially, it was believed that the cargo ship was headed to the Syrian city of Tartus to evacuate Russian military personnel and equipment from a naval base.

According to reports from the Spanish publication El Espanol, the vessel sank after an explosion on board in international waters between Spain and Algeria. Spanish naval forces rescued 14 crew members, while two are missing.

Additionally, it is known that the cargo ship, flying the Russian flag, departed from Saint Petersburg 12 days ago. The captain of the vessel stated that at the time of the accident, Ursa Major was carrying empty containers.

"Mediazona" clarifies that the Ursa Major cargo ship had been transporting goods for the "Syrian Express," a term used in Russia to refer to the supply route for Russian troops in Syria.

It is worth noting that the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 was in the Baltic Sea near the location where two significant internet cables were severed. The Chinese vessel arrived from the Russian port of Ust-Luga.

In Romania, the cargo ship Usko Mfu, loaded with barley and heading to Greece, was previously detained. The vessel has made multiple visits to ports in occupied Crimea.