Ursa Major ran into trouble in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria, with two crew still missing.

Summary

The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria after an engine room explosion.

Fourteen crew members were rescued, but two remain missing.

The ship, sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 for transporting cargo to Russia’s military, was reportedly en route to Vladivostok carrying two cranes and other equipment. Its exact destination remains unconfirmed.

The incident occurred near the Sparta, another sanctioned Russian ship linked to transporting military equipment from Syria. The cause of the explosion on Ursa Major is still unknown.

  • SwingingTheLampEnglish
    2·
    20 hours ago

    A very thoughtful reply, and I’ll bet you’re probably correct. The thing that gave me pause, though, was that explosions on cargo ships usually occur because of explosive cargo. The engines use bunker fuel, a heavy oil which is almost tar-like. It doesn’t vaporize at ambient temperatures. The engine room fires that I have heard of don’t tend to cause a ship to sink. I’m no expert, though, and I suppose there are other things aboard that could cause explosions, like batteries for emergency power?

    • perestroika@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      18 hours ago

      Indeed, that is something which I overlooked - I didn’t even check what type of fuel the ship was using.

      At this point, Russians claim (but skepticism would be warranted until someone has a recording) that not one but three explosions occurred in the engine room. Now, if that claim is true, then I would start thinking along the lines of “bombs planted in St. Petersburg”.