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A Russian cargo ship operated by the Defense Ministry’s logistics fleet sank Tuesday in international waters between Spain and Algeria while en route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.
The ship, called the Ursa Major, sank after an explosion occurred in the engine room. The Russian Foreign Ministry said two sailors were missing and 14 others were rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena.
At 142 meters long (about 1.5 times the length of a football pitch), the Ursa Major was the largest ship operated by Oboronlogistika, the Russian military’s logistics department, and could carry up to 1,200 tons of cargo.
Intelligence Service (GRU) under the Ministry of Defense said The vessel was said to have previously transported cargo between Russia and Iran in the Caspian Sea before being redeployed to a route linked to Syria.
According to the Oboronlogistika website, the vessel was transporting cranes and equipment for icebreakers to Vladivostok as part of a “national mission” to develop the Northern Sea Route.
Moscow has recently defended the Northern Sea route as a faster alternative to the Suez Canal. China is increasingly dependent on China in the face of Western sanctions.
The route is entirely within Arctic waters, but the warmer climate makes navigation easier during the summer months.
While the standard journey from the port of Primorsk in northern Russia to China via the Suez Canal takes 45 days, the Northern Sea Route reduces this time to 35 days.
