Russian ship Sparta stranded, blocked from Tartus port access
As reported by the Ukrainian service Militarny, the Russian ship Sparta, which carries military equipment on board, has been unable to enter the Syrian port of Tartus for more than five days. The lack of access to Russia's only foreign naval base, situated in Tartus, might hinder the evacuation of Russian soldiers and equipment from the country.
Militarny refers to data from open-source intelligence, along with information from the service MarineTraffic, which tracks the location of ships in real-time. According to this information, the ship Sparta left the Russian port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region on 11th December and arrived at the Syrian coast on 5th January. It has not entered the port since that day. The Ukrainian service suggests that this could indicate the ship has not received permission from the new Syrian authorities to enter Tartus.
Russian problems in Syria
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Russians moved a substantial amount of military equipment and soldiers to the naval base located in the port city of Tartus. It is worth reminding that this base is Russia's only repair and resupply centre in the Mediterranean Sea.
The facility was also a key logistical point for Russian military operations in Africa. However, it is not Russia's sole base in Syria. Also operational in the country is the Khmeimim airbase in the Latakia province, which can be used to evacuate equipment and personnel if the ship Sparta cannot reach the port.
The Russian cargo ship "Sparta" belongs to the company Oboronlogistika, which specialises in transporting military equipment for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This ship, with a cargo capacity of 9,513 tonnes and a length of 120 metres, is designed for transporting containers and oversized loads. "Sparta" is part of the fleet of ships used by Russia to maintain its military operations in the Middle East, providing essential logistical support to contingents stationed in the region.
In December 2024, "Sparta" took part in an operation to evacuate Russian military equipment from Syria. During the voyage, there was an engine failure off the coast of Portugal, which forced the crew to attempt repairs in open water. It is worth noting that "Sparta" and other units of Oboronlogistika have been sanctioned by the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Ukraine due to their involvement in Russia's military activities in 2014 and 2022.
