Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was ‘terrorist attack’

MOSCOW: A “terrorist act” sank the cargo ship that went down in international waters in the Mediterranean this week, the Russian state-owned company that owns the vessel said on Wednesday.

The Oboronlogistika company said it “thinks a targeted terrorist attack was committed on December 23, 2024, against the Ursa Major,” it said in a statement cited by Russian news agencies, without indicating who may have been behind the act or why.

The ship sank in international waters off Spain in the early hours of Tuesday after having sent a distress call for help on Monday.

“Three consecutive explosions” took place on the ship before it began taking on water, added the company, which belongs to the Russian defence ministry.

Oboronlogistika did not say what evidence it had allowing it to conclude a terrorist attack sank the Ursa Major.

Russian foreign ministry´s crisis unit said on Telegram on Tuesday that the ship sank “after an explosion in the engine room”.

It added that out of the 16 Russian crew members on board, 14 had been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena and two were missing. An office of Russia´s Investigative Committee, which carries out the major probes in the country, said Tuesday it had opened an investigation into possible maritime transport “security regulations violations”.

The sinking of the Ursa Major came after a Russian tanker transporting fuel oil partially sunk in a strait between Moscow-annexed Crimea and southern Russia on December 16, causing a major oil spill.

The ship sent a distress call on 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 sank overnight.

The Ursa Major is listed on MarineTraffic.com as a 124.7-metre (409-foot) long general cargo ship.