• kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    Spanish investigators have confirmed that the Russian cargo vessel Ursa Major, which sank off the coast of Cartagena in December 2024, was carrying undeclared nuclear reactor components likely bound for North Korea.

    According to La Verdad, the ship was part of Russia’s shadow fleet and took an unusual route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok through the Mediterranean.

    Though the ship’s manifest listed only empty containers and port equipment, aerial images revealed two large, undeclared containers at the stern. Authorities later identified them as housings for VM-4SG nuclear reactors.

    What does a housing for a nuclear reactor look like?

    • fullsquare@awful.systems
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      21 hours ago

      roughly tube with a very thick wall and spherical ending (it has to survive 100+ atm under high temperature and neutron irradiation - weakens everything over time)

    • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      This article includes a picture of the ship that it claims shows the parts in question. However the picture isn’t the greatest resolution, and they also state the cargo was wrapped in tarps. So take what you will…

  • ramble81@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    “Ghost Ships” are very high risk, high reward operations. You can’t say anything when they get sunk because they never were supposed to have existed. Makes them wonderful targets.