Russian ship that sank near Spain may have been carrying nuclear reactors to North Korea

The Ursa Major in the Bosphorus in Istanbul. The Russian cargo ship was purportedly sailing from St Petersburg to Vladivostok when it sank off the coast of Spain in 23 December 2024.
Photograph: Yoruk Isik/Reuters

A Russian cargo ship that suffered a series of mysterious explosions before eventually sinking off the south-east coast of Spain 17 months ago may have been carrying nuclear submarine reactors destined for North Korea, according to reports.

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