The sinking of a Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean is due to a “terrorist attack”, says its owner company, without supporting its comments

The sinking of the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major in the Mediterranean is due to a “terrorist attack”said, Wednesday, December 25, the company Oboronlogistika, which owns the ship, without saying who would have perpetrated it, or why. “Three consecutive explosions” sounded, which caused the ship to roll and “water entry”she added, citing the testimonies of survivors.

According to Spanish sea rescue, Ursa Major “issued an alert call” on the night of Monday 23 to Tuesday 24 December, approximately 105 kilometers from the coast of Almeria, against a backdrop of “bad weather conditions”. The cargo ship, with 16 crew members on board, all Russian citizens, eventually “wrecked after an explosion in its engine room”announced the crisis unit of the Russian Foreign Ministry in a press release published Tuesday morning.

Fourteen sailors were rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena and “two are missing”added this same source.

A ship bound for Vladivostok

According to Spanish sea rescue, the rescue ship Draco and the multipurpose vessel Clara Campoamoras well as a helicopter were dispatched to the area to rescue the sailors. A Russian warship arrived in the area and took charge of the rescue operations, which were transferred to it by the Spanish authorities, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to the same source.

The cargo ship left the city of Saint Petersburg (northwest Russia) on December 11 and was due to arrive on January 22 in Vladivostok (Russian Far East), according to the website MarineTraffic.com.

According to the Oboronlogistika company, Ursa Major carried harbor cranes and hatch covers for icebreakers. “To ensure the stability of the boat (…)containers were placed on her lower deck as additional dead weight”said in a press release this company, which depends on the Russian Ministry of Defense but also provides civilian transport and logistics services.

The “Ursa Major” under American sanctions

This cargo ship and the company Oboronlogistika were placed under American sanctions in May 2022, after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, according to a press release from the State Department.

Oboronlogistika had affirmed on December 20 that the voyage of his ship participated in the development of “Northern Sea Route”. This maritime route in the Arctic has been developed for years by Russia, which hopes to use it as a new commercial circuit linking Europe and Asia, in particular to deliver its hydrocarbons.