New Delhi: A Russian cargo ship that mysteriously sank off the coast of Spain last year may have been secretly transporting nuclear reactor components
to North Korea, according to an investigation reported by CNN. The vessel, named MV Ursa Major, reportedly went down in the Mediterranean Sea in December 2024 after a series of unexplained explosions onboard.
CNN reported that the ship may have been carrying parts for two nuclear submarine reactors, possibly as part of covert military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The report revealed that the vessel had departed from St. Petersburg and was officially headed to Vladivostok, but investigators suspect the cargo’s real destination may have been North Korea.
Mystery explosions and covert operation claims
According to the CNN investigation, the ship issued a distress signal after several explosions were heard onboard while it was sailing near Spain’s southeastern coast. Spanish rescue teams responded, but Russian military vessels later took control. CNN also reported claims that a Russian warship fired flares during the operation, allegedly disrupting satellite monitoring.
Spanish authorities reportedly concluded that the ship was carrying reactor housings similar to the VM-4SG nuclear reactors used in Soviet-era submarines. The vessel’s captain later admitted to investigators that the cargo included “components for two nuclear reactors,” though he reportedly could not confirm whether nuclear fuel was onboard.
The report further said specialized US aircraft designed to detect traces of nuclear material flew over the wreck site multiple times after the sinking. Russian authorities, meanwhile, described the incident as a “terrorist attack” and claimed the vessel had been sabotaged.
Growing Russia–North Korea military ties
The incident has drawn attention because of growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Ukraine war intensified. Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly accused Russia and North Korea of exchanging military technology and weapons in return for support in the war effort.
CNN said the ship sank just weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly deepened military coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts quoted in the report suggested that the transfer of submarine reactor technology could help North Korea advance its ambitions to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
