Russian cargo ship sinks after explosion in Mediterranean

A Russian cargo ship belonging to a military transport fleet has sunk after an explosion in the Mediterranean Sea, with two crew members missing.

The US-sanctioned vessel, Ursa Major, went down in waters between Spain and Algeria, where it had been bound for the Suez Canal with 16 Russian crew members on board. After a rescue operation, 14 were taken ashore in Cartagena, Spain, and two were unaccounted for.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said an “explosion in the engine room” was reported on board the 142-metre vessel, giving no explanation for the blast. The ship's operator, SK-Yug, belongs to a Defence Ministry-owned transport provider called Oboronlogistics which is under US and European sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Marine tracking data showed the Ursa Major heading from St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to Vladivostok in Russia's Pacific far east. Oboronlogistics said it was carrying specialised port cranes due to be installed at the port of Vladivostok, as well as parts for new icebreakers.

Coastguards in Spain said the ship sank at 11.22pm on Monday and told passing sailors to keep a “sharp lookout” for debris. They said a distress signal was followed by reports of bad weather, a lifeboat in the water and the Ursa Major listing to its starboard side.

Two vessels and a helicopter were sent to the scene, where the crew told rescuers there were empty containers and two port cranes on deck. A Russian warship later arrived on the scene, Spanish authorities said, and took charge of rescue operations.

Ukrainian military intelligence said on Monday that a second Russian vessel, called Sparta, which it claimed was removing weapons and equipment from Syria, had suffered engine problems near the Strait of Gibraltar. A UK sanctions listing says ships belonging to Oboronlogistics have been used to transport missiles from Syria to the Black Sea.

Video footage appeared to show the Ursa Major heavily listing to starboard during daytime, suggesting it had run into trouble earlier on Monday. Pro-Kremlin media said Russia's embassy in Spain was looking into the circumstances of the sinking. Spanish media said a naval patrol boat, Serviola, was part of a rescue operation that also involved fishing boats and a vessel called Clara Campoamor.

Oboronlogistics is under western sanctions for its role in Russia's defence industry during the war in Ukraine, and the US put the Ursa Major on a list of blocked vessels in 2022. The parent company said the ship's operations were part of a Russian push to open up an Arctic east-to-west sea route to shorten journeys that currently go via the Suez Canal. Rising sea temperatures fuelled by climate change have made the northern route more plausible.