Blast sinks Russian state cargo ship in Mediterranean
Survivors of the sinking of Russian cargo ship Ursa Major stand on the deck of a Spanish Maritime Rescue ship upon arrival at the port of Cartagena, Spain, December 23. PHOTO: REUTERS
Two crew members are missing after a Russian defence ministry-owned cargo ship sank in international waters in the Mediterranean following an explosion on board, Moscow said Tuesday, giving few details on the ship's mission or what caused the deadly incident.
The Ursa Major sank "after an explosion in the engine room", the Russian foreign ministry's crisis unit said on Telegram. It added that out of the 16 Russian crew members, 14 had been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena and two were missing.
The Ursa Major is listed on MarineTraffic.com as a 124.7-metre (409-foot) long general cargo ship that was sailing from the Russian city of Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East.
Russian transport investigators announced they had opened a probe into the "incident" over possible maritime safety violations, without giving details.
The ship sent a distress call Monday morning from off the coast of southeastern Spain in bad weather, reporting it was listing and sailors had launched a lifeboat, Spain's sea rescue service said in a statement.
Spain sent out a helicopter and rescue boats and took the survivors to port, the service said.
A Russian warship then arrived and took charge of the rescue operation since the ship was between Spanish and Algerian waters, after which the Ursa Major sunk overnight.
"According to the survivors' account, the cargo ship was carrying empty containers in the hold and two cranes on deck," the Spanish rescue service said.