The shipwreck of Russian freighter “Ursa Major” in the Mediterranean Sea was due to a “terrorist attack,” the shipping company that owns the ship, which depends on the Russian Ministry of Defense, stated this Wednesday, without further details.
The shipping company Oboronloguistika “It is believed that on December 23, 2024, a terrorist attack was committed against the ‘Ursa Major,'” Russian state agencies noted, without any precision about the possible perpetrators or motivations for the incident.
According to the report, which cites the testimony of survivors, “three explosions were heard “consecutive” that made the boat rock and caused “water to enter.
Two of the ship’s 16 crew members, all of Russian nationality, are missing.
The incident occurred between Spain and Algeria and the survivors were transferred to the Spanish city of Cartagena.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had indicated on Tuesday that the “Ursa Major” had sunk “after an explosion in the engine room.”
According to the company Oboronloguistika, which depends on the Russian Ministry of Defense but also provides civil transport and logistics services, the cargo ship was heading towards Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, and was transporting port cranes and icebreaker equipment.
It had set sail on December 11 from the city of Saint Petersburg, in northwest Russia, according to the MarineTraffic.com portal.
The ship set sail on December 11 from the city of Saint Petersburg, in northwest Russia, according to the portal MarineTraffic.com.
“Ursa Major” and its owner were subject to US sanctions in May 2022, after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, according to a statement from the US State Department.
According to the company’s website, the company covers, among others, a route connecting Novorossiysk, in southern Russia on the Black Sea, with Tartus, the Russian naval base in Syria.
The Ukrainian military intelligence GUR stated on Monday that “Russia began transporting some of its weapons and equipment by sea from the port of Tartus to Libya.”
There is uncertainty about the future of Russian bases in Syria after the fall of President Bashar al Assad, an ally of Moscow, in a rebel offensive.
