A Russian cargo ship has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in its engine room, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Two crew members on the Ursa Major are missing, while the other 14 have been rescued and brought to Spain, the ministry said in a statement.
LSEG ship tracking data shows the vessel departed from the Russian port of St Petersburg on 11 December and was last seen sending a signal at 2204 GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.
On leaving St Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, not the Syrian port of Tartous which it has called at previously.
The operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistics, according to LSEG data. Oboronlogistics and SK-Yug declined to comment on the ship’s sinking.
Oboronlogistics said in a statement on 20 December that the ship was carrying specialised port cranes due to be installed at Vladivostok as well as parts for new ice-breakers.