Update 0650(ET):
The plot thickens as officials in Moscow confirm that a Russian cargo ship named "Ursa Major" sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria following an engine room explosion.
Reuters cited the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said Ursa Major was transiting near the Strait of Gibraltar to the Russian far-eastern port of Vladivostok when the engine room blast occurred. It indicated that 14 of the ship's 16 crew members had been rescued, with two sailors missing.
Unverified video footage posted on X shows the vessel listing to its starboard side with the stern partially below the waterline.
Russian cargo ship Ursa Major has sunk in the Mediterranean after suffering a catastrophic engine room explosion, according to Spanish authorities. 14 crew have been rescued, while two are still missing, according to Spanish media. pic.twitter.com/KbZTq1DuRs
— RT (@RT_com) December 24, 2024
On Monday, Ukraine's main intelligence directorate first reported Ursa Major had been sent to Syria to retrieve military weapons after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime earlier this month. It noted an engine room issue occurred.
What caused the engine room explosion remains a mystery.
* * *
In a Telegram post on Monday, Ukraine's main intelligence directorate reported that a cargo ship, sent to Syria to retrieve Russian military equipment, experienced an engine failure while transiting near the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
"The cargo ship Sparta, sent by Russia to retrieve its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down off the coast of Portugal due to a malfunction in the fuel pipe of its main engine," Ukrainian intelligence wrote in the update.
The ship tracking website Marine Traffic shows the Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III, drifting on the high seas near Portugal. A tug vessel appears to be approaching Sparta.
Another view of the vessel...
The Kyiv Independent noted that it could not verify the intel agency's claim whether Sparta was part of a withdrawal operation from Syria.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime earlier this month, two Russian military bases in the country—the Hmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Naval Base—have faced constant threats from the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "there are no final decisions" about Russia's bases in Syria. Moscow said diplomatic staff were evacuated from the country.
Satellite images from Maxar show that Russian military personnel have been winding down operations at Khmeimim Air Base.
Russia continues evacuation from Syria.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 18, 2024
Satellite images from Maxar show military equipment concentrated at Russian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, withdrawn from multiple outposts across Syria. pic.twitter.com/S9mz7LMsoi
The big question for the Sparta vessel is whether any US Navy submarines with special forces units lurk beneath.
Update 0650(ET):
The plot thickens as officials in Moscow confirm that a Russian cargo ship named “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria following an engine room explosion.
Reuters cited the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said Ursa Major was transiting near the Strait of Gibraltar to the Russian far-eastern port of Vladivostok when the engine room blast occurred. It indicated that 14 of the ship’s 16 crew members had been rescued, with two sailors missing.
Unverified video footage posted on X shows the vessel listing to its starboard side with the stern partially below the waterline.
Russian cargo ship Ursa Major has sunk in the Mediterranean after suffering a catastrophic engine room explosion, according to Spanish authorities. 14 crew have been rescued, while two are still missing, according to Spanish media. pic.twitter.com/KbZTq1DuRs
— RT (@RT_com) December 24, 2024
On Monday, Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate first reported Ursa Major had been sent to Syria to retrieve military weapons after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month. It noted an engine room issue occurred.
What caused the engine room explosion remains a mystery.
* * *
In a Telegram post on Monday, Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate reported that a cargo ship, sent to Syria to retrieve Russian military equipment, experienced an engine failure while transiting near the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
“The cargo ship Sparta, sent by Russia to retrieve its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down off the coast of Portugal due to a malfunction in the fuel pipe of its main engine,” Ukrainian intelligence wrote in the update.
The ship tracking website Marine Traffic shows the Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III, drifting on the high seas near Portugal. A tug vessel appears to be approaching Sparta.
Another view of the vessel…
The Kyiv Independent noted that it could not verify the intel agency’s claim whether Sparta was part of a withdrawal operation from Syria.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month, two Russian military bases in the country—the Hmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Naval Base—have faced constant threats from the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “there are no final decisions” about Russia’s bases in Syria. Moscow said diplomatic staff were evacuated from the country.
Satellite images from Maxar show that Russian military personnel have been winding down operations at Khmeimim Air Base.
Russia continues evacuation from Syria.
Satellite images from Maxar show military equipment concentrated at Russian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, withdrawn from multiple outposts across Syria. pic.twitter.com/S9mz7LMsoi
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 18, 2024
The big question for the Sparta vessel is whether any US Navy submarines with special forces units lurk beneath.
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