Russian Ship That Sank Mysteriously May Have Carried Nuclear Reactors

A Russian cargo ship that mysteriously blew up and went down off Spain's coast in late 2024 may have been secretly hauling nuclear submarine reactors for North Korea, according to new reporting. The Ursa Major, a state-linked, Russian-flagged freighter officially listed as carrying "non-dangerous" goods, issued a distress call on Dec. 23 as its crew reported three blasts in the engine room and abandoned ship 62 nautical miles off Murcia, reports the Guardian. Spanish rescuers were pushed back hours later when a Russian warship arrived, fired flares that may have been intended to obscure satellite surveillance, and took control. The vessel sank that night; two crew members are believed dead, 14 survived.

Spanish documents and a CNN investigation say the ship's "manhole covers" were in fact submarine-type reactor components, with satellite images showing two massive, undeclared containers on deck. A source told CNN the captain expected to be rerouted to North Korea's Rason port. Investigators also found a 20-inch inward-facing hole in the hull consistent with a high-speed "supercavitating" torpedo, a weapon held by only a few countries, listed by CNN as the US, "a few NATO allies," Russia, and Iran. CNN suggests the disaster could represent a covert Western effort to block a nuclear technology transfer to Pyongyang. Russia's Oboronlogistics has called the sinking a "targeted terrorist attack."