Russian ship tied to Syria arms shipments sinks in the Mediterranean
The Russian Ministry of Defense owns the company that operates the cargo vessel
© Reuters
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that an engine room explosion led to the sinking of the Ursa Major, a Russian cargo ship, in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria, with two crew members unaccounted for. The ship, which was built in 2009, was operated by Oboronlogistika, an entity connected to the Russian Defense Ministry’s construction operations.
The company mentioned that the vessel was heading to Vladivostok, a port in Russia's Far East, carrying two massive port cranes secured on its deck. The Foreign Ministry’s crisis team announced that 14 out of 16 crew members were rescued and taken to Spain, while the remaining two are still missing. No details were provided about the cause of the explosion.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time a tragedy like this has occurred. From infamous ships like the Titanic to lesser-known but equally important vessels such as the SS Eastland, click through to learn about the worst boat disasters in history.
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