Russia sailors evacuated to NATO port as ship sinks in Mediterranean

What's New

Fourteen sailors were evacuated to a port in Spain, a NATO member, as a Russian cargo ship sunk in the Mediterranean, according to the news outlet The Maritime Executive.

The sanctioned ship, the Ursa Major, sank after an explosion in the engine room during the night on Monday. Two crew members were also reported missing as of late Monday. The ship, which was thought to be going to Syria to evacuate personnel and military equipment, sunk in the international waters between Spain and Algeria. According to Ukrainian website Censor.net, the sailors were brought to a port in Cartagena, in southeastern Spain.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry, Spain's Maritime Safety and Rescue Society and Oboronlogistika, the Russian company operating the ship, for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The sinking of the Ursa Major comes as Russia's role in the Mediterranean appears uncertain, and namely its presence in Syria, following the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

What To Know

According to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR)'s report on Monday, the Ursa Major, previously known as Sparta III, "which Russia sent to evacuate its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down while underway—the fuel pipe of the main engine failed. The Russian crew is trying to fix the problem and is drifting in the open sea near Portugal."

According to trade outlet The Maritime Executive, the cargo ship was going eastbound in the Strait of Gibraltar when the explosion took place, leading to the ship's deviation. A Spanish ship, the Clara Campoamor, and the Sparta, another sanctioned Russian cargo ship not to be confused with Sparta III, were able to save 14 crew members. The ship's declared destination on Automatic Identification System (AIS), a ship tracking system, was Vladivostok, a port city in southeastern Russia.

The Ursa Major was operated by a subsidiary of the sanctioned Russian company Oboronlogistika, which was established in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2011 for the "transportation, storage and production of military and special purpose goods." The ship was often on the supply route to Tartus, the Russian Navy's base in Syria, The Maritime Executive reported. It became one of the vessels subject to Ukraine conflict-related sanctions imposed by the U.S. in May 2022.

Photos of the Ursa Major taken prior to it sinking show that it was carrying heavy-lifting equipment, which some online accounts have speculated is Russian heavy equipment from Tartus, being removed from Syria following the overthrow of Assad. Amid concerns that Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group leading the uprising and now in control of most of Syria, may not be as accommodating to its presence in the country, Russia is reportedly attempting to transfer its military installations to Africa, specifically to Libya.

While some reports maintain that the ship was heading to Tartus, the Crimean Wind outlet, a pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel, said that the ship was carrying "two 45-ton hatches at the back of the vessel, covered with blue tarpaulin" which act as the covers for the "nuclear reactor of the Project 10510 'Lider' icebreaker." Oboronlogistika also said that the ship was carrying "port cranes weighing 380 tons each, necessary for the expansion of the terminal in Vladivostok, and 45-ton hatch covers for new icebreakers." Moscow's Project 10510 aims to construct a series of nuclear-powered icebreakers.

What People Are Saying

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The ship, which left St. Petersburg 12 days ago and was headed for Vladivostok, had an explosion in the engine room.

"OSINT analysts say the vessel was carrying to Vladivostok hatches for the nuclear reactor of the Project 10510 nuclear icebreaker and two port mobile cranes with a capacity of up to 120 tons."

Frederik Van Lokeren, a former Belgian navy officer and current navy analyst, wrote: "Looks like bad start for Russia's evacuation of Tartus. First Sparta broke down off the coast of Tartus, now Ursa Major appears to have suffered a more severe breakdown."

What Happens Next

Russia's presence in Syria, and subsequently whether it can effectively transport its equipment and troops out of the country, remains unclear. Though there have been reports that Moscow is negotiating with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate recently reported that Russia had begun evacuating its warships from the Tartus naval base, and airlifting weaponry from Khmeimim.