Ursa Major Sinks Off Spain After Engine Room Explosions, Two Crew Missing

A Russian cargo ship, Ursa Major, sank on 23 December 2024 in the Mediterranean near Spain after explosions in its engine room, with 16 tripulantes on board and two crew members—second maquinista Nikitin and maquinista Yakovlev—still missing and presumed dead.

“International: Two Russian oil tankers carrying nearly 9,000 tons of fuel sink in the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from Russia”

El Mundo

Euronews said the ship was carrying components for a propulsor nuclear para submarinos a Corea del Norte, and that it could have been attacked with torpedos or minas, citing sources from the investigation.

El Mundo

The Euronews report also said the Ursa Major was previously known as Sparta III, built in 2009, and that it sank with the crew later rescued and transferred to Spain.

In parallel, NDTV said the Ursa Major left the Russian fuel port of Ust-Luga in the Gulf of Finland in early December 2024 and that Spain’s maritime investigation found it “deeply improbable” the ship would make such a long sea voyage carrying empty containers and cranes between Russian ports.

NDTV further reported that the ship’s captain, Igor Anisimov, told investigators he “finally confessed” the “manhole covers” were components of two nuclear reactors similar to those used by submarines, while also saying the captain testified he could not confirm whether they contained nuclear fuel.

While Russia initially attributed the sinking to an “explosión en la sala de máquinas,” Euronews said the captain later told investigators that objects declared as “mercancía no peligrosa” were actually components for two nuclear reactor systems similar to those used in submarines.

Euronews also reported that the captain said he believed the ship would be diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to deliver the reactors, and that he did not speak further because he feared for his safety.

El País

In a different framing, Radio-Canada reported that Oboronloguistika said a targeted terrorist attack was carried out on December 23, 2024 against the Ursa Major, without indicating who would have carried it out or why.

Radio-Canada added that the Russian Foreign Ministry had already asserted that the sinking occurred after an explosion in its engine room, and that a section of the Russian Investigative Committee announced an investigation into violations of maritime safety rules.

The Maritime Executive said CNN’s report speculated that the explosion could have been caused by a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, noting that only the United States, several NATO countries, Russia and Iran are believed to possess this type of torpedo.

Beyond the Mediterranean incident, the sources connect the Ursa Major case to the broader Russia-Ukraine war through sanctions and military logistics, with Euronews saying the ship had been subject to sanctions by the United States and Reino Unido since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“Un buque ruso que se hundió en 2024 junto a la costa de Murcia, en el sureste de España, transportaba componentes para un propulsor nuclear para submarinos a Corea del Norte, y pudo haber sido atacado con torpedos o minas, según fuentes de la investigación”

Euronews

Euronews also linked the timing to North Korea’s support for Russia in Ukraine, saying the sinking occurred “apenas dos meses” after Kim Jong-un sent “unos 10.000 soldados” to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The Maritime Executive described CNN’s account that the United States sent two planes capable of detecting nuclear material over the site, and it said the report noted unusual Russian activity at the wreck.

Meanwhile, NDTV reported that a WC-135R aircraft—described as a rare and highly specialised “nuclear sniffer” plane based in Nebraska—flew over the site twice, on 28 August last year and again on 6 February this year.

Finally, NDTV placed the suspected reactor transfer in the context of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, saying that in December 2025 North Korea published photographs of Kim Jong Un alongside the sealed hull of what appeared to be a nuclear-powered submarine under construction.