The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in the engine room.
She added that 14 crew members were rescued and transported to the Spanish port of Cartagena, but two others were missing.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the Ursa Major left the port of St. Petersburg 12 days ago.
The ship's owner said it was en route to Vladivostok in Russia's far east carrying two port cranes, each weighing 380 tons, although the destination could not be independently confirmed.
The Ursa Major was in the same area of the Mediterranean as another sanctioned Russian ship, the Sparta, when it ran into trouble and the two ships were spotted heading across the English Channel last week, reportedly under escort.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence reported that Sparta was heading to the Russian naval base on the Syrian coast in Tartus to transport military equipment out of Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
A Kremlin official said on Monday that Russia is in contact with Syria's new rulers about the future of two military facilities. At the diplomatic and military levels.
Oboronlogicika, owner of Ursa Major, was heavily involved in transporting cargo to Tartus, although Sparta's announced destination on Tuesday was Port Said in Egypt.
On Monday, HUR reported that the Sparta had grounded off Portugal, but the issue had been resolved. Ursa Major was also known as Sparta III, so it was not clear which ship she was referring to.
The cause of the explosion that occurred on the Ursa Major ship while it was passing between Oran in Algeria and the Spanish city of Aguilas was not known. However, unverified video showed the ship heading badly on Monday.
It was built in 2009 and was placed under sanctions after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 due to the shipowner's role in delivering goods to the Russian military.
Oporonlogistica said the cargo ship, which it described as the flagship of its fleet, was carrying hatch covers for icebreakers weighing 45 tons, as well as large cranes for the port in Vladivostok.
