Russian ship sinks between Spain and Africa after ‘explosion’: At least two people missing

A RUSSIAN ship carrying ‘mystery cargo’ has sunk between Spain and Africa after an explosion, leaving two people unaccounted for. 

Around midday yesterday, Monday December 23, a Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria.

Unverified footage showed the 466ft Ursa Major tilting to one side in the Strait of Gibraltar after suffering an explosion in the engine room.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, two of the 16 crew members are now missing, while the other 14 were rescued and taken to Spain’s Cartagena port.

According to the Daily Mail, the ship was transporting ‘mysterious cargo’ believed to be heading for Syria, where Russian forces are retreating after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad. 

The Sun also added that a ‘secret mission’ was likely as the Ursa Major, alongside another boat, the Sparta, have been involved in the ‘Syria Express’ mission to remove Russian arms from the country. 

Owned by Oboronlogistics, part of the Russian defense ministry, the boat has previously been used to transport weapons and was included in the US Treasury’s Ukraine-related sanctions in May 2022. 

But according to Russian media outlets, the boat was heading to the Russian port city of Vladivostok and was carrying two cranes used in building nuclear devices. 

Meanwhile, a second cargo vessel known as the Sparta was drifting off the coast of Portugal after a technical problem. 

After being fixed by crew on board the ship reportedly continued its journey to Port Said, Egypt. 

It follows a number of incidents in which Russia has lost vessels in the Black Sea following missile and drone attacks from Ukraine.