World ocean turns hostile for Russian ships

An extraordinary incident. The Russian fleet suffered a major loss in the Mediterranean. Today, Oboronlogistics, a company working for the Russian Defense Ministry, revealed details about the destruction of one of its largest and most advanced Ro-Ro dry cargo ships, Ursa Major. The ship, with a total displacement of 12,700 tons, was built in Germany in 2009. Since 2022, it has been under U.S. sanctions for its role in aggression against Ukraine. The entire crew consisted of Russian citizens.

According to the Oboronlogistics, Ursa Major was transporting two mobile portal cranes weighing a total of 686 tons, manufactured in Germany (Liebherr 420). Russia doesn’t produce cranes of this type, nor can it purchase them in Europe due to sanctions. With no quick alternatives, the cranes were being transported from Europe to the Far East.

On December 23, at 1:50 p.m., three explosions occurred on the starboard side near the stern of the ship, off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.

Upon inspection of the damage, the Russians found a crater measuring 50 x 50 centimeters, roughly 15-30 centimeters above the waterline. The edges of the crater were bent inward, indicating that the explosions originated externally.

While the crater alone might not seem like a severe threat to such a large vessel, the three strikes were executed with remarkable precision. The blasts knocked out the ship’s power systems entirely, preventing the crew from activating backup systems, pumping out water, or mounting a proper survival effort. By 3:10 p.m., the Russian sailors abandoned the ship, leaving behind two crew members who couldn’t be found. At 11:22 p.m., the Ursa Major sank, 70 miles south of Cartagena, Spain.

The Oboronlogistics called the incident a “terrorist attack” on the vessel.

"The Russians have no evidence identifying who was responsible for the attack. No group or organization has claimed responsibility for the destruction of this military-linked vessel."

From this moment on, no Russian ship or cargo under the Russian flag can feel secure anywhere in the world’s oceans.

This event is the most impactful "sanction" to Russian maritime trade since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Source

About the author: Yuriy Butusov, journalist.

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.