Maritime Executive: Russian Military Cargo Ship Continues Mysterious Maneuvers
After having spent five days east of Sardinia, the Russian-flagged military cargo ship Sparta IV is again drawing attention, now maneuvering west of Portugal. The ship is drawing focus from the NATO allies for its unexplained behavior, which is also leading to broad speculation online.
The Sparta IV was well-known as a participant in the so-called “Syrian Express” and was used to remove military equipment after the fall of the Asad government. With its history of transporting military equipment, the NATO allies closely track its movements, but so far, no one can explain what the ship is doing during this trip.
While it was off Sardinia, the Italian Navy was observing the ship, which reports said was traveling with the Russian destroyer Severomorsk and the tanker Kama. There was also speculation that a Kilo-class submarine was below the surface with the ships.
It seemed unlikely that it was a weather-related detour, and then, as mysterious as its presence, the ship resumed its course west. At the end of last week, it was again seen sailing back and forth east of Gibraltar and Alicante on the southeast coast of Spain. The ship drew the attention of the Spanish Navy, which reportedly sent BAM Audaz, a patrol boat, to investigate. Itamilradar reports the ship remained beyond the 12 nautical mile limit in international waters. It speculates the delay might have been weather-related, with forecasts of storms west of Gibraltar.
The Sparta IV got underway again, but this time, Itamilradar reports the destroyer and tanker separated and sailed west. A Russian Navy landing ship, RFS Aleksandr Otrakovsky, however, appeared to be escorting her through the Strait of Gibraltar.
This drew the attention of the UK, which sent HMS Cutlass from the Gibraltar naval base to monitor the ship. A French Navy maritime patrol aircraft was also overhead, adding to the monitoring. Itamilradar reports the ship had gone dark for several days, but its AIS was switched back on before it approached Gibraltar.
The mystery, however, has deepened again after the Sparta IV started north. It stopped above Lisbon and is now being observed sailing back and forth west of the traffic lanes.
Portugal’s Lusa news agency made inquiries to the Portuguese Navy, and it says sources told them the ship was being monitored. The Sparta IV has been off the coast of Portugal since approximately 8:00 p.m. Sunday, February 15, and it remains going back and forth as of February 18.
“The ship is sailing from south to north along the Portuguese coast, currently remaining off the coast of Nazaré, outside the maritime traffic corridors, in areas with depths greater than 3,000 meters,” the Navy reportedly told Lusa in response to the inquiry.
The AIS signal shows the vessel is heading to the Russian port of Kaliningrad on the Baltic. It says it is not due until February 27.
Speculation has been that the ship might be experiencing mechanical problems or attempting to avoid heavy weather. Espionage, of course, gets mentioned, as do possible deep-sea surveys. Others point to the potential presence of undersea cables in some of the locations the ship has been sitting for days.
The Portuguese Navy would only say to Lusa that it will continue to monitor the Sparta IV, which is classed as a merchant ship, until it leaves Portuguese waters. The news agency reports the Navy said last year it monitored 69 Russian ships in Portuguese waters, and well over 100 Russian ships have been tracked transiting Portuguese waters in recent years.
Related Posts
