MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Russia's Ursa Major cargo ship has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in the engine room, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Center said in a statement.

"The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, owned by the SK-Yug company, has sunk in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea after a blast occurred in the engine room. Fourteen out of the 16 crew members (all Russian nationals) have been rescued and brought to the port of Cartagena in the Spanish region of Murcia by rescue service personnel," the statement reads.

According to the Crisis Management Center, on-duty personnel at the center, as well as at the Russian Transport Ministry and overseas diplomatic missions, are monitoring the situation.

Spain’s El Espanol newspaper reported earlier that a Russian vessel had capsized in international waters between the Spanish Autonomous Community of Murcia and Algeria. According to the report, the ship left St. Petersburg about two weeks ago, heading to the port of Vladivostok, where it was expected on January 22. The Ursa Major is a cargo ship built in 2009.