A Russian Cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea after a series of explosions 60 miles off the coast of Spain under unexplained circumstances in December 2024.
An investigation has revealed that the ship, the Ursa Major, also called the Sparta 3, could have possibly been carrying two nuclear reactors with its destination set for North Korea.
A new CNN report has also suggested that the sinking might have been caused by a high-stakes intervention by a Western military power.
Right after the sinking that year, the Spanish government conducted an investigation into the incident. The ship reportedly sank after a rare type of torpedo was used to breach the vessel’s hull.
After the ship reached Spanish waters, it had slowed down dramatically, which prompted Spanish rescuers to check if it was in distress.
The Ship’s crew had replied that it was fine. However, 24 hours later, the ship had deviated from course after suffering three explosions on the starboard side, possibly close to the engine room.
The Spanish investigation 2024 had found that the there was a 50 cm by 50 cm hole in the hull, which could likely have been made by a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo. Only the United States, a few NATO allies, Russia and Iran are believed to have this kind of high-speed torpedo, which fires air ahead of the weapon to reduce the drag of the water. The impact would have been high-speed and noiseless, and could explain the sudden slowing of the vessel . However, some suggest that the damage was caused by a limpet mine.
Western security intelligence has only described the incident as strange and has not provided alternative explanations.
The vessel was listing and immobile when the Spanish maritime authority found it. The surviving crew was evacuated via lifeboat and picked up by a Spanish rescue boat.
However, one Russian military ship, Ivan Gren, which was escorting the vessel, ordered all other vessels to keep away two nautical miles and asked that the crew be returned.
The Spanish maritime authorities insisted that they must conduct a rescue operation and send a helicopter to the ship. When they tried to enter the ship's engine room, it was sealed, and there was no one else on the ship.
Hours later, the Ivan Gren fired red flares, whihc was followed by four explosions. The vessel sank after that.
The ship’s captain, Igor Anisimov, who was initially reluctant to speak, had confessed that the ship contained nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines.
He also said that the vessel did not contain nuclear fuel and that it would be headed to Rason port in North Korea.
The Spanish investigation question why Russian would send a cargo of two cranes, 100 empty containers and two large manhole covers, via boat when there was an extensive rail network available n the country.
A week after the sinking, Russia sent a research vessel, Yantar, to the area, possibly to destroy the remaining part of the ship which had sunk. The ship was also sent a year later, in January 2025. The vessel sent a position ping 20 kilometres away from the Ursa Major’s last position.
In August 2025, A US “nuclear sniffer aircraft was sent to the site to detect nuclear activity. The aircraft was sent a second time in February this year.
The incident occurred towards the end of Joe Biden’s presidency, when Moscow had an upper hand in the war in Ukraine, and there was a strong US desire not to directly escalate with Moscow. It also followed two months after Kim Jong Un sent troops to assist with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
