Russian vessel Ursa Major sinks in Mediterranean, reportedly while en route to withdraw military assets from Syria

The Russian ship Ursa Major has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria, following an explosion on board. Two crew members are missing, while the other 14 were rescued, El Español reports. OSINT sources suggest that the dry cargo ship was most likely headed to the Syrian port of Tartus in order to withdraw Russian military vehicles and equipment.

According to Spanish media, the surviving crew members were taken to the Spanish city of Cartagena. The blast occurred in the ship's engine room. Although the Ursa Major's official destination was Vladivostok, OSINT analyst H.I. Sutton has concluded that the vessel, along with three large landing ships and a steamboat named Sparta, was on its way to the Syrian port of Tartus to remove Russian military personnel, vehicles, and equipment — thus permanently dismantling the Russian military base. As the Russian independent publication Mediazona notes, the two ships were used until 2022 as part of the so-called ‘Syrian Express’ to supply the Russian military grouping in Syria.

The Ursa Major left St. Petersburg on Dec. 11. According to Spanish media, it is 15 years old and was built in 2009.

Syrian opposition forces entered Tartus on Dec. 8, seizing government buildings without a fight. On Dec. 9, Russian warships were reported to have left the Russian Navy's logistics point in Tartus, as seen on satellite images. The Russian state-owned news agency TASS quoted sources as saying that the leaders of Syrian rebel groups had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on Syrian territory. The opposition forces have full control of Latakia province, where Tartus — and Russia's Khmeimim Air Base — are located.