Norway explains reason for refusal to take on board Russians from the Ursa Major dry cargo ship

The Norwegian company Oslo Bulk said that the refusal of the crew of Oslo Carrier 3 to take on board Russian sailors from the sinking of the dry cargo ship Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea was dictated by the fact that another vessel was on its way to help them. It reported about it on December 27.

The company explained that the rescue operation was conducted by the Marine Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Cartagena. It is the one responsible for such operations in the area.

"The MRCC ordered the captain not to take on board the crew from the vessel in distress as their rescue ship was en route to the scene," the company said in a statement.

It added that their lifeboat was secured alongside Oslo Carrier 3 until the arrival of another vessel.

On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the refusal of the crew of the Norwegian ship to take on board Russian sailors from the sinking of the Ursa Major dry cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea was an egregious case.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev commented on media reports that the Norwegian-flagged vessel Oslo Carrier 3 refused to take on board Russians from the Ursa Major and said that such an act of the crew cannot be forgiven.

The wreck of the Russian ship Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea became known on December 24. After the incident, two people were missing, 14 crew members were rescued. According to the media, the ship left St. Petersburg and was on its way to Vladivostok, where it was supposed to arrive on January 12. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's Situation and Crisis Center department, the incident occurred after an explosion in the engine room.