Russian cargo ship that sank off Spanish coast may have been carrying nuclear reactors to North Korea

A Russian cargo ship that suffered a series of mysterious explosions before finally sinking off the southeastern coast of Spain 17 months ago may have been carrying nuclear reactors for North Korean submarines, according to reports, the British newspaper The Guardian reports on its website.

The Ursa Major, a 142-meter-long Russian-flagged ship owned by the state-owned Oboronlogistics company, was reportedly sailing from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok in Russia's far east when it sank 62 nautical miles off the coast of Murcia, shortly before midnight on December 23, 2024.

Eleven hours earlier, the Spanish maritime safety and rescue service, Sasemar, sent a helicopter, a fast rescue boat and a tugboat to the "Ursa Major", which sent a distress signal at 12:53 pm.

Other ships in the area noticed that the Russian ship, which had slowed drastically in the past 24 hours, was listing heavily and that the crew had abandoned ship. Crew members told rescuers that there had been three explosions in the ship's engine room.

Spanish attempts to assist the "Ursa Major" were cut short at 20:07 PM that evening when a Russian warship arrived, took over operations, and ordered the Sasemar ships to withdraw to a distance of two nautical miles.

According to a Spanish government document released three months ago in response to parliamentary questions about the incident, the Russian warship then fired flares. A report in the Murcia newspaper "La Verdad" said that these flares could have been used to blind the infrared channels of intelligence satellites that were monitoring the incident.

A CNN investigation into the sinking of the ship noted that "four similar seismic signatures ... the pattern of which was reminiscent of underwater mines or quarry explosions" were recorded immediately after the flares were fired. By 23:20, the Ursa Major had sunk and now lies at a depth of 2.500 meters. Two crew members are believed to have died in the initial explosions, while 14 crew members were rescued.

Although the ship was officially carrying "non-dangerous goods" – including 129 containers, two cranes and two large maintenance hatches – its direction and sinking raised suspicions among Spanish authorities.

Under questioning, the captain of the "Ursa Major" eventually told Spanish investigators that the "manhole covers" on the ship were "nuclear reactor components similar to those used by submarines," but that no nuclear fuel was being transported.

The investigation also spotted two huge blue containers – each estimated to weigh around 65 tonnes – at the stern of the ship, satellite images show.

"These would therefore be two cargoes almost impossible to transport through the winding roads of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan between the two cities where the Ursa Major was operating. This mysterious undeclared cargo would certainly justify a sea journey of over 15.000 km between St. Petersburg and Vladivostok," the "La Verdada" report states.

A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that the Russian captain believed he was being diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to deliver two reactors.

While the incident remains a mystery, CNN suggested that the sinking of the Ursa Major "could mark a rare and high-risk intervention by Western militaries to prevent Russia from sending advanced nuclear technologies to a key ally, North Korea." The network noted that the Russian ship sailed just two months after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent troops to help Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

CNN and La Verdad reported that a 50 x 50 cm hole found in the ship's hull – with damaged metal facing inward – could have been made by a super-fast weapon known as a supercavitating torpedo.

"The United States, several NATO allies, Russia and Iran are believed to possess this type of high-speed torpedo, which fires air in front of the weapon to reduce water resistance. A source familiar with the (Spanish]) investigation said it was concluded that the use of such a device would match the size of the hole in the Ursa Major's hull, and could create a silent impact that would cause the ship to suddenly slow down on December 22," CNN reported.

CNN also reported that there had been "a series of recent military activities" around the ship's remains, with US nuclear "detector" aircraft flying over the site twice in the past year, and a Russian spy ship causing four additional explosions in the wreckage a week after the ship sank.

The Oboronlogistics report claimed that "Ursa Major" had become the victim of a so-called "targeted terrorist attack."

Spain's interior, foreign and defense ministries have been contacted for comment, according to the Guardian.