Exploring the wreck of the Ursa Major

The Yantar, the Russian spy ship that last week had NATO forces in Greece and southern Italy on alert (here’s a brief report), has left the port of Algiers, where it had been stationed for a few days, and is now operating in the western Mediterranean.

However, it is not operating in a random area. It is located in the same stretch of sea where, on December 24th, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank. The cause of the sinking has not been established, but it is known that an explosion struck the ship’s engine room while it was underway. The vessel was reportedly carrying critical components for the construction of a Russian nuclear icebreaker in the Far East.

It is therefore possible that the Yantar, officially designated as an oceanographic research vessel, is working to locate the wreck and investigate what actually happened.