The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major has foundered in the Mediterranean, off the coasts of Spain and Algeria, with a pair of its crew unaccounted for, as per an announcement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The disaster struck after an explosion in the vessel's engine compartment led to its overturning. Out of the sixteen individuals aboard, fourteen were successfully recovered and brought to Spain, the ministry stated in an official communique. The blast happened around 1230 hours local time on December 23, and the locale has since been deemed perilous for maritime traffic. A collaborative rescue endeavor was swiftly initiated, enlisting the assistance of various ships in the vicinity, including the Spanish rescue vessel Clara Campoamor and a Spanish naval patrol craft.

The Ursa Major had set sail from St. Petersburg on December 11, heading towards Vladivostok with a scheduled arrival for January 22. The ship belonged to SK-YUG, a subsidiary of the Russian defense firm Oboronlogistika. Both SK-YUG and Oboronlogistika, as well as the Ursa Major itself, were subject to US sanctions in 2022 over ties to Russia's military operations.

Oboronlogistika reported on December 20 that the ship's cargo included specialized port cranes bound for installation at Vladivostok's port and components for new icebreakers, as cited by Reuters. According to Open Source Intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander, the shipment comprised two Liebherr LHM 420 Mobile Harbour Cranes for Vladivostok's port and two 45-tonne hatches destined for use in the assembly of a new Russian nuclear icebreaker, Project 10510.

Constructed in 2009, the Ursa Major had a history of transporting supplies to Russian military forces in Syria over many years, playing a role in the so-called Syrian Express.