The cargo ship Ursa Major sank at sea after an explosion in its engine room, the Russian government announced on Tuesday.
Two sailors are missing, according to authorities.
Fourteen men were rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena.
An explosion in the Mediterranean. Two sailors are missing after the sinking of a Russian cargo ship in international waters, the crisis unit of the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The cargo ship Ursa Major with 16 crew members on board, all Russian citizens, “was wrecked after an explosion in its engine room“, according to the press release. Fourteen sailors were rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena and “two are missing“, he clarified.
Several Spanish boats mobilized
The accident took place between Spain and Algeria, according to the press release. Tracking data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) indicates that the ship left the Russian port of St. Petersburg on December 11. It would have sent a last signal at 11:04 p.m. French time on Monday. Several boats, including a Spanish navy ship, participated in the rescue of the crew, specifies the media The Spanish.
According to the company Oboronloguistika, which reports to the Russian Ministry of Defense but also provides civilian transport and logistics services, the cargo ship Ursa Major was heading to Vladivostok (Russian Far East) and carrying port cranes and hatch covers. for icebreakers.
-
Read also
Russia: the volume of soil polluted by an oil spill could reach 200,000 tonnes
Ukrainian military intelligence services claimed that the ship had been sent to Syria to recover weapons and military equipment after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
