Russian cargo ship sinks in the Mediterranean. It was supposed to evacuate weapons from Syria

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The Russian cargo ship Ursa Mayor has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea: 14 of the 16 crew members have been rescued, while two are missing, the Crisis Management Center of the Russian Foreign Ministry said today.

«The Russian cargo ship Ursa Mayor sank in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in the engine room. Of the 16 crew members, 14 were rescued… two are missing. The teams on duty from the Crisis Management Center, the Situation Center of the Ministry of Transport and Russian foreign missions are monitoring the situation,” the Center itself wrote on Telegram.

The cargo ship was reportedly sent from Moscow to evacuate weapons and equipment from Syria, and suffered a main engine fuel line failure off the coast of Spain. This was reported by maritime monitoring websites.

Several ships operating in the same area participated in the rescue work and subsequently the Maritime Rescue specialists, the Clara Campoamor ship and the Navy patrol boat Serviola joined. The ship, flying the Russian flag, left St. Petersburg 12 days ago and was headed to the port of Vladivostok, where it should have arrived on January 22. The Ursa Major is a 15-year-old cargo ship, built in 2009.