The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday following an explosion in its engine room, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. 

The incident occurred 57 nautical miles off the southern Spanish coast near Almeria. Fourteen crew members were rescued without injury from a lifeboat and transferred to Spain, according to the Ministry. Two crew members remain missing.

The Ursa Major, a 466-foot cargo ship built in 2009, had been sanctioned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to its owner’s role in supplying military cargo. It departed St. Petersburg on December 11 and was en route to Vladivostok, with a scheduled arrival of January 22. 

Observers have speculated the ship was part of Russia’s efforts to evacuate military assets from Syria, where its presence has been diminished due to regional developments.

According to Oboronlogistics, the ship’s owner, the Ursa Major was transporting equipment for port infrastructure projects and the Northern Sea Route. However, images posted by open-source intelligence analysts show cranes aboard the vessel, possibly intended for loading and unloading military supplies.

Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank after an engine room explosion in the Mediterranean.

14 crew members rescued; 2 missing. Ship, under US sanctions, was en route to Vladivostok carrying 380-tonne cranes.#UrsaMajor #Russia pic.twitter.com/N0CLHAAm4T

— British Pakistani Index (@PakistaniIndex) December 24, 2024

The incident comes amid reports of another Russian cargo ship, Sparta, which reportedly experienced engine failure near Portugal earlier in December. 

Both the Sparta and the Ursa Major are owned by Oboronlogistics. Analysts suggest both ships could be involved in a Russian convoy tasked with evacuating military equipment from Syria.