A Russian cargo ship that suffered a collection of mysterious explosions earlier than finally sinking off the south-east coast of Spain 17 months in the past could have been carrying nuclear submarine reactors destined for North Korea, in accordance with studies.
The Ursa Main, a 142-metre-long, Russian-flagged ship owned by the state-linked Oboronlogistics firm, was purportedly crusing from St Petersburg to Vladivostok within the far east of Russia when it sank 62 nautical miles off the coast of Murcia a bit of earlier than midnight on 23 December 2024.
Eleven hours earlier, Spain’s maritime rescue and safety service, Sasemar, had dispatched a helicopter, a quick rescue boat, and a tugboat to the Ursa Main, which put out a misery name at 12.53pm.
Different vessels within the space famous that the Russian vessel, which had slowed dramatically over the earlier 24 hours, was itemizing badly and noticed its crew abandoning ship. The crew members advised rescuers that there had been three explosions within the ship’s engine room.
Spanish makes an attempt to help the Ursa Main had been curtailed at 8.07pm that night when a Russian warship arrived, took over operations and ordered the 2 Sasemar boats to withdraw to a distance of two nautical miles.
In response to a Spanish authorities doc that was launched three months in the past in response to parliamentary questions over the incident, the Russian warship then launched flares over the Ursa Main. A report within the Murcia newspaper La Verdad mentioned the flares might have been deployed to blind the infrared channels of the intelligence satellites that had been monitoring the incident.
A CNN investigation into the sinking of the vessel famous that “4 comparable seismic signatures … the sample of which resembled underwater mines or overground quarry blasts” had been heard simply after the flares had been fired. By 11.20pm, the Ursa Main had sunk and now lies at a depth of two,500 metres. Two crew members are thought to have died within the preliminary explosions, whereas 14 had been rescued.
Though the vessel was formally transporting “non-dangerous merchandise” – together with 129 transport containers, two cranes, and two giant upkeep gap covers – its route and sinking raised the suspicions of the Spanish authorities.
Beneath questioning, the captain of the Ursa Main finally advised Spanish investigators that the “manhole covers” onboard his ship had been “nuclear reactor elements just like these utilized by submarines”, however that no nuclear gasoline was being transported.
Investigators had additionally observed two big blue containers – every estimated to weigh about 65 tonnes – on the strict of the ship in satellite tv for pc pictures.
“These would subsequently be two hundreds virtually unimaginable to move alongside the winding roads of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan between the 2 cities served by the Ursa Main,” mentioned the report in La Verdad.
“That mysterious undeclared cargo would definitely justify a voyage of greater than 15,000km by sea between St Petersburg and Vladivostok.”
A supply acquainted with the investigation advised CNN that the Russian captain believed he can be diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to ship the 2 reactors.
Whereas the incident stays a thriller, CNN instructed the sinking of the Ursa Main “could mark a uncommon and high-stakes intervention by a western navy to forestall Russia from sending an improve in nuclear know-how to a key ally, North Korea”. The community famous that the Russian ship set sail simply two months after the North Korean chief, Kim Jong-un, had despatched troops to help with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
CNN and La Verdad reported {that a} 50cm by 50cm gap discovered within the vessel’s hull – with the broken metallic dealing with inwards – might have been made by a super-fast weapon often known as a supercavitating torpedo.
“Solely the US, just a few Nato allies, Russia and Iran are believed to have this type of high-speed torpedo, which fires air forward of the weapon to scale back the drag of the water,” mentioned CNN.
“The supply acquainted with the [Spanish] investigation mentioned it concluded using such a tool would match with the dimensions of the opening within the Ursa Main’s hull, and that it might have made a noiseless influence ensuing within the sudden slowing of the boat on 22 December.”
CNN mentioned there had been a “flurry of latest navy exercise” across the ship’s stays, with US nuclear “sniffer” plane overflying the scene twice up to now 12 months, and a Russian spy ship setting off 4 additional explosions within the wreckage every week after it sank.
A report by Oboronlogistics claimed that the Ursa Main fell prey to what it termed “a focused terrorist assault”.
Spain’s inside, overseas and defence ministries have been contacted for remark.
