Ursa Major/Sinking
 | |
| Date | 24 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Description | Russian cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea |
The Ursa Major was a Russian cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean on December 24th 2024, after what was initially reported to be an engine room explosion by western commercially-controlled media.[1]
Overview
The ship was operated by a company established under the Russian Defense Ministry (Oboronlogistika).[2][3] Marine transport monitoring website LSEG told the BBC that Ursa Major's automatic ID system (AIS) showed that its destination since 11 December had been Vladivostok, and that its last call at the port of Tartous had been in July;[4] possibly evacuating military equipment from the country after the fall of the Assad government which occurred shortly before. Some material may have been transferred to Libya, among other places.[5]
The owner immediately suspected sabotage,[6][7] and a 50 by 50-centimeter hole with inward-torn edges is said to have been discovered before the ship sank.[8][9]
Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev accused Bulkship Management, the Norwegian shipping company of the Oslo Carrier 3, the nearest ship to render help, of refusing to rescue sailors from the sinking cargo ship.[10][11] Bulkship Management AS rejected the accusation and said it did provide assistance. "The MRCC (Spain's Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center) ordered the Master not to take crew from vessel in distress on board as their rescue boat was on the way".[12] The lifeboat in which the crew escaped is tucked away by the Spanish vessel, as seen in photographs.[13]
In 2025 several Russian tankers (six by July 2025) had hull damage supposedly by limpet mines when visiting Russian ports.[14] These tankers were part of the Russian "shadow fleet" which is used to circumvent western sanctions. Ants Kiviselg,[15] head of Estonian intelligence, is cited as saying that this could turn into a new tactic in the war against Russia.[16]
References
- ↑ https://news.sky.com/story/russian-cargo-ship-on-syria-mission-sinks-in-mediterranean-13279545
- ↑ https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ship-ursa-major-cargo-mediterranean-syria/33251600.html
- ↑ https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/russian-cargo-ship-ursa-major-syria-military-mission-explosion
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c627n83ezlwo
- ↑ https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/id_100560092/russischer-frachter-ursa-major-nach-terrorangriff-gesunken-.html
- ↑ https://maritime-executive.com/article/sanctioned-russian-ship-was-sunk-by-terrorist-attack-owner-claims
- ↑ https://tass.com/society/1893767
- ↑ https://sputnikglobe.com/20241226/russias-oboronlogistics-says-5050cm-hole-found-on-starboard-side-of-ursa-major-1121270807.html
- ↑ https://www.defensemirror.com/news/38477/Hole_Found_in_Sunken_Russian_Cargo_Ship_Ursa_Major__Sabotage_Suspected
- ↑ https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-accuses-norwegian-shipping-company-of-denying-help-to-sinking-russian-ship-company-rejects-claim-8571193
- ↑ https://fakti.bg/en/world/937630-norwegian-ship-refuses-to-take-russian-sailors-aboard-in-distress-in-the-mediterranean-sea
- ↑ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-medvedev-accuses-norwegian-flagged-vessel-refusing-help-sinking-ship-2024-12-27/
- ↑ https://www.n-tv.de/panorama/Medwedew-unterstellt-norwegischem-Schiff-unterlassene-Hilfeleistung-article25455842.html
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/09/ukraine-limpet-mines-putin-russia-shadow-fleet-tankers-oil/
- ↑ https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/interview/ants-kiviselg-estonian-intelligence-head-1699338778.html
- ↑ https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/10056
