Russian cargo vessel Ursa Major sinks in Mediterranean Sea following explosion in engine room

A Russian cargo vessel, Ursa Major, sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria on Monday following an explosion in engine room. Two crew members are missing while 14 others were safely rescued.
The vessel, constructed in 2009, was travelling to Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East with heavy equipment when the incident occurred.
The vessel belonged to Oboronlogistika, an organisation under the Russian Ministry of Defence’s control, which primarily handles military cargo transportation including missiles and tanks.
While the company claimed Ursa Major was transporting port cranes and icebreaker components, Ukrainian military intelligence suggested the vessel was carrying weapons and personnel from the Russian-controlled Syrian port of Tartus following Bashar al-Assad’s fall.
Oboronlogistika came under scrutiny earlier this year when Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, who supervised the country’s cargo “ghost ships” fleet, faced arrest on bribery charges alongside a former CEO of an Oboronlogistika subsidiary.
Two officials linked to defence ministry, Magomed Khandayev and Igor Kotelnikov, died in suspicious circumstances while in detention In July.
Media reports indicated that Russia’s FSB security service had sought Igor Kotelnikov’s testimony against Ivanov, as Kotelnikov faced accusations of bribing officials.