Russia's stranded ship raises strategic concerns at Tartus
As reported by the Ukrainian service Militarny, the Russian ship Sparta, carrying military equipment, 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, located in Tartus, may hinder the evacuation of Russian soldiers and equipment from the country.
Militarny references data from open-source intelligence, as well as 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 Baltijsk in the Kaliningrad region on December 11 and arrived at the Syrian coast on January 5. Since that day, it has not entered the port. According to the Ukrainian service, this may indicate that the ship has not received permission from the new Syrian authorities to enter Tartus.
Russian problems in Syria
After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Russians transferred a significant portion of military equipment and soldiers in Syria to the naval base located in the port city of Tartus. It is worth noting that this base is Russia's only repair and resupply center in the Mediterranean Sea.
The facility was also a key logistical point for Russian military operations in Africa. However, it is not Russia's only base in Syria. Also operating in this 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 specializes 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 adapted 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 necessary logistical support to contingents stationed in the region.
In December 2024, "Sparta" participated 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 United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Ukraine due to their involvement in Russia's military activities in 2014 and 2022.
