The Ursa Major ship went down after an explosion in the engine room, the ministry said. It comes after Ukraine said Moscow had sent four ships to Russian military bases in Syria. AdvertisementSpain's Maritime Rescue agency told Business Insider that it had received a distress alert call from the Ursa Major last night. AdvertisementShip tracking data said the 466-foot Ursa Major, built in 2009, last departed from St. Petersburg on December 11. It comes after Ukraine's intelligence directorate reported on Monday that a Russian cargo ship called Sparta had broken down near Portugal after the engine failed.

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Persons: GUR, Bashar Assad, Ukraine's GUR Organizations: Ursa, SK, SC, US, Business, Sparta III, Sparta Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Syria, Russian, Almeria, Spain, Cartagena, Madrid, Spanish, St, Petersburg, Sparta, Portugal, Gibraltar, East, Africa, Russia