War in Ukraine: The Russian cargo ship sunk in the Mediterranean was the victim of “a terrorist attack”, according to its owner

The cargo ship Ursa Major had set sail for Vladivostok from St. Petersburg “to deliver 'specialized' cranes and hatch covers for icebreakers.” But 12 days later, three explosions in the Mediterranean caused the ship to sink south of the Spanish city of Cartagena.

This Wednesday, December 25, the official Tass press agency cited the Oboronlogistika press service which spoke of “a terrorist attack”.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the ship sank after an explosion in the engine room. The incident occurred in international waters between Spain and Algeria. As a reminder, 14 of the 16 crew members were rescued, two were missing.

“According to the testimony of members of the ship's crew, on December 23, 2024 at 1:50 p.m. [heure de Moscou]three consecutive explosions occurred on the starboard side in the stern area, after which the ship received a strong list to starboard up to 25 degrees, which indicated the entry of water into the ship's premises”, said the press service of Oboronlogistika.

Not a simple commercial cargo ship

On Tuesday, the specialized site Opex360 indicated that the Ursa Major was not a simple commercial cargo ship given that it is operated by the company SK-Yug, a subsidiary of the Oboronlogistika OOO group, closely linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

According to the specialized site, “the main objectives of the company are to ensure the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense for transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods.” According to American diplomacy, it would thus be “the only supplier to the Russian Ministry of Defense for the transport of troops to certain regions of Russia”.

After the annexation of Crimea, the company would be the only one providing “transport services of the Russian Ministry of Defense for the delivery of goods to Russian-occupied Crimea.”

According to some sources, the Ursa Major could be expected in Syria as the Russian navy was preparing to evacuate.