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The Regional Government of Murcia is demanding an immediate inspection of the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, which sank off the coast near Cartagena in December 2024, after new reports raised fears that it may have been carrying nuclear-related material. The wreck now lies at a depth of around 2,500 metres, and concern has grown as doubts persist over both the cargo and the cause of the sinking.

 

Marcos Ortuño, the regional government spokesperson, said this Thursday that the Community “has not received any information” since the ship went down about 100 kilometres from Cartagena. He described the situation as “worrying” and said President Fernando López Miras had written to Defence Minister Margarita Robles asking for “comprehensive and detailed information” about the incident, as well as an inspection of the wreck “to rule out the presence of any nuclear components.”

 

The regional government says it wants “clarity, transparency, and information” from the central government, insisting that the matter cannot be handled in secrecy. Its stated aim is also to prevent any environmental risk.

 

The row has intensified after reports by CNN suggested the Ursa Major may have been attacked by a torpedo or a mine while travelling off Murcia. According to those reports, the ship was carrying parts linked to nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines, and may have been heading for North Korea. A Spanish government response to the Popular Party in Congress later confirmed that the captain had said the so-called “manhole covers” listed on the cargo manifest were in fact “components of two nuclear reactors similar to those used by submarines.”

 

The official account says the ship was first reported in distress on 23 December 2024 while sailing south of Cartagena with 16 crew members on board. Maritime Rescue deployed a helicopter, the tug Clara Campoamor and the rescue vessel Salvamar Draco. Fourteen sailors were rescued, while two were reported missing. Hours later, a Russian warship took over the operation.

 

The government says the wreck cannot be recovered because of the depth at which it lies and because international maritime law limited what could be done at sea. Even so, the discovery has reignited demands for answers over what really happened in the waters off the Region of Murcia.

 

 

Image: wikicommons