The cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria due to an explosion in the engine room, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the ministry’s crisis center, 14 of the ship’s 16 crew members were rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena, but two crew members are still missing.
What do we know about the ship?
Ursa Major was carrying special harbor cranes, as well as parts for new icebreakers, for installation at the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok.
The final owner of the ship, built in 2009, is OboronLogistica – a company that is part of the military construction campaign of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Unverified footage of the ship shows it moored to one side in water deeper than expected.
The cause of the explosion is unclear.
Tracking data shows the ship left St. Petersburg, Russia’s second city, on December 11. The last signal from Ursa Major was detected at 2204 (GMT/UTC) on Monday.
While the ship had logged that it was headed to Vladivostok as its next port of call after leaving Saint Petersburg, it had called at the Syrian port of Tartus before the explosion.
Several ships, including a Spanish Navy ship, were reported to have taken part in the rescue operation.
rc/rm (Reuters, AFP)
