Exploding ship sparks fears of covert Russia-North Korea nuclear operation

"The Ursa Major went down in the Mediterranean on December 23 last year after a series of blasts on its starboard side, roughly 60 miles from Spanish waters, according to a CNN investigation citing Spanish officials and sources familiar with the probe."

"Spain's government later confirmed the ship's Russian captain eventually admitted the cargo included "components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines". According to CNN, the captain initially described the mysterious freight as oversized "manhole covers" before allegedly changing his account during questioning."

"The vessel had departed from Saint Petersburg on December 11 with a publicly filed manifest listing two large cranes, 129 empty containers, and two huge "manhole covers". Officially, the ship was supposedly heading for Vladivostok in Russia's Far East."

"The ship's journey was further shrouded in suspicion by the presence of two Russian military escort vessels - the Ivan Gren and the Aleksandr Otrakovsky. Portuguese naval surveillance aircraft tracked the convoy through European waters before contact was reportedly lost shortly before the explosions."

A Russian cargo vessel, the Ursa Major, sank in the Mediterranean on December 23 after blasts on its starboard side. The incident occurred about 60 miles from Spanish waters. Investigators suspect the ship was transporting components for two submarine nuclear reactors bound for North Korea’s port of Rason. Spain’s government later confirmed the Russian captain admitted the cargo included components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines. The captain initially described the freight as oversized “manhole covers” and later allegedly changed his account during questioning. The ship departed Saint Petersburg with a manifest listing cranes, empty containers, and two large “manhole covers,” and it traveled with two Russian military escort vessels.

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