CNN: Russian ship that sank off Spain may have been carrying submarine nuclear reactors to North Korea

Russian cargo vessel Ursa Major, which sank off the coast of Spain in December 2024, was likely carrying two nuclear submarine reactors and is believed to have been heading to North Korea.

Source: CNN, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The unusual fate of the Ursa Major has remained shrouded in mystery since it sank on 23 December 2024. However, CNN suggests the events may point to a rare intervention by Western militaries aimed at preventing Russia from transferring advanced nuclear technology to its key ally, North Korea.

The vessel set sail just two months after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent troops to support Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to publicly available flight data, specialised US aircraft designed to collect atmospheric samples for detecting and identifying nuclear explosions flew over the wreck site twice during the past year.

A week after the sinking, a Russian spy ship reportedly visited the wreckage, after which four more explosions occurred, according to a source familiar with the Spanish investigation.

The Spanish government has largely refrained from commenting publicly on the incident, issuing only a brief statement on 23 February following pressure from the opposition. The statement confirmed that the Russian captain had told Spanish investigators the Ursa Major was carrying components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines.

The sequence of events leading to the sinking of the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea remains unclear. According to the Spanish investigation, a rare type of torpedo may have been used to breach the hull.

The Ursa Major docked in the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Gulf of Finland on 2 December before moving to a container terminal in Saint Petersburg. It was bound for Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, departing on 11 December and reportedly carrying two large hatch covers, 129 empty containers and two large Liebherr cranes.

Video footage of loading operations in Ust-Luga analysed by CNN shows containers being loaded into the hold while leaving space below where the hatch covers were later placed.

The vessel travelled along the coast of France, after which aircraft and ships from the Portuguese Navy tracked it in Portuguese waters. Two Russian military ships, the Ivan Gren and the Alexander Otrakovsky, escorted the vessel, and on the morning of 22 December the Portuguese Navy ceased monitoring it.

Around four hours later, in Spanish waters, the vessel sharply reduced speed, prompting Spanish rescue services to contact it and check whether it was in distress, according to the Spanish government investigation. The crew reportedly replied that everything was fine.

However, about 24 hours later the vessel suddenly veered off course and issued a distress signal, the investigation states. Three explosions occurred on the starboard side, reportedly near the engine room, killing two crew members. The blasts caused the vessel to list and become immobilised.

The 14 surviving crew members evacuated in a lifeboat and were later rescued by the Spanish rescue ship Salvamar Draco. A Spanish military ship later arrived to assist. But around half an hour later, the Russian military ship Ivan Gren, which had been escorting the Ursa Major, ordered nearby vessels to keep a distance of two nautical miles and later requested the immediate return of the rescued crew.

Spanish maritime rescue services insisted on continuing the rescue operation and dispatched a helicopter to check for additional survivors.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the Ursa Major initially appeared stable and the likelihood of it sinking quickly was considered low. However, at 21:50 the Ivan Gren fired a series of red signal flares over the site, after which four explosions were heard.

As CNN was told by the Spanish National Seismic Network, four seismic impulses consistent with underwater explosions were recorded in the area at that time.

A source familiar with the Spanish investigation said that the Ursa Major was officially declared sunk at 23:10.

The 14 surviving Russians were brought ashore in the port city of Cartagena, where they were questioned by Spanish police and investigators. The Spanish government statement issued to the opposition notes that the Russian captain was reluctant to discuss the vessel's possible cargo out of concern for his safety.

The statement added that the captain was pressured to explain what he meant by "hatch covers". He eventually admitted they were components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines. According to his testimony, which could not be independently verified, they did not contain nuclear fuel.

Earlier reports suggested that the Ursa Major may have been heading to Syria to assist in the evacuation of Russian military bases.

The events unfolded amid the change of power in Syria.

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