SPARTA IV

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Sparta IV used as supply shiip in Russian war

The Russian army is building a new logistics chain for its own troops in Syria. The “Sparta IV” left Baltiysk on April 18, 2024, with high-quality military equipment on board. The ship was being escorted by the Russian Navy. The Russian army's supply service was launched when support for the regime in Damascus began in 2015. Until 2023, the supply ships with military equipment for Syria mostly sailed from the Black Sea to Tartus. Russia maintains the only naval base in the Mediterranean there. The Russian units stationed in Tartus are now being supplied with from the Baltic Sea. It is currently the safest route as there is no threat of attacks from Ukraine there. The route from the Baltic Sea to Tartus is, however, around 4,500 nautical miles long, which is is significantly longer than from the bases in the Black Sea. From Novorossiysk on the Black Sea to Tartus through the Bosphorus would be just 1,200 nautical miles. The “Sparta IV” has been sailing for the Russian military since 2021, transporting containers, general cargo and also heavy cargo. The Russian military supplies are then transported from Tartus. Two Russian naval ships have just brought military equipment from Tartus to Libya. The “Sparta IV” has already made trips with equipment for the Russian military from its home port of Novorossiysk to Tartus in 2022 and 2023. During this time, the vessel narrowly escaped an attack by Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea. This threat was probably also the reason why the ship is now being escorted by the Russian Navy on the Baltic Sea. On April 19 , the “Sparta IV” passed the Fehmarnbelt and the Great Belt. The frigate “Neustrashimiy” of the Baltic Fleet served as an escort, accompanying the freighter towards the Mediterranean. The federal police shadowed the Russian convoy with the “Neustadt”. Denmark pursued the course through the waters of the Great Belt and the Kattegat with a frigate and two patrol boats. The ship has been blocked from passing through the Kiel Canal since Feb 24, 2022, the start of the Russian war. The sanctions against Russian shipping companies on behalf of the state prohibit the passage through German waters. At the beginning of the war, Russia also had the landing ships “Minsk” and “Kaliningrad” from the Baltic Fleet in use on the route. They also commuted to Tartus from Kaliningrad and Sevastopol. The “Minsk” was severely damaged by Ukrainian cruise missiles at the Sevastopol naval base on Sep 13, 2023, during an overhaul in dock and is no longer operational. The “Kaliningrad” is currently still in operation in the Black Sea. However, she is not allowed to leave the Black Sea because Turkey has banned the passage of the Bosphorus under the rules of the Treaty of Montreaux.

Russian convoy shadowed during transit of German EEZ

The Russian frigate 'Neustrashimy' has escorted a convoy, consisting of the 'URSA Major' and 'Sparta IV' from its own country in the Baltic Sea for the first time through the Fehmarnbelt and the Kadet Trench on March 21, 2024. These ships are said to be carrying large quantities of weapons and equipment from Syria. The deployment of the frigate to escort the two freighters on the Baltic Sea indicates high-quality weapons and equipment. Both freighters were loaded in a Syrian port in February and were supposed to enter the Black Sea through the Turkish straits. However, in view of the threat from Ukrainian drones, the freighters turned around and instead of taking the shorter route through the Bosphorus, chose the almost 9,000 nautical mile route around Europe into the Baltic Sea. The Russian freighters reached a position north of Skagen on MArch 20, where the 'Neustrashimy' was waiting and formed a convoy with the freighters. Weapons and radar systems were active. The Danish Navy sent a patrol boat and a naval home guard boat to escort the convoy through the Great Belt. At 11 a.m. the Belt Bridge near Korsör was passed. There were no violations. After leaving the Great Belt, the Russian convoy was accompanied at the entrance to the Fehmarnbelt in the afternoon by the mine diving boat “Rottweil” of the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron from Kiel and the two patrol ships “Bamberg” and “Neustadt”, with the “Bamberg” sailing ahead of the convoy and the “Neustadt” and “Rottweil” following behind. They passed through the construction site for the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel at a speed of 12 knots. The Russian ships adhered to traffic regulations. The “Sparta IV” and “URSA Major” belong to a shipping company in Novorossiysk. Both ships were visibly well loaded. On the “Sparta IV” there were numerous containers stacked on the deck. They would be an easy target for Ukrainian drones. Russian freighters do not have to provide any information about their cargo or purpose when transiting through Germany's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Federal Police did not have any reliable information about the cargo of the “Sparta IV” and “URSA Major”. However, the draft of the ships revealed that they were carrying heavy cargo. Both freighters have been on the US and EU sanctions lists since 2022. If they were to suffer an accident in German territorial waters, the federal police would arrest them immediately. Until the evening, the surveillance of the Russian ships went without any particular incidents. The ships were expected to leave the German EEZ around 11 p.m. with the same course. On board the frigate “Neustrashimy” is a helicopter specially equipped to defend against drones. The path of the two ships had been followed for weeks by NATO secret services and naval forces.

Russian freighters suspected of carrying weapons shadowed by German and Danish Navy

The 'Sparta IV' is one of the ships at the top of the list of possible targets by Ukraine as the freighters owned by state-owned Russian shipping companies transport weapons. The ship is actually in the North Sea on the way to Baltiysk with an ETA as of March 23, 2024. It is expected in the North Sea on March 19. A Russian naval unit is currently operating there. It is still unclear whether Russia's naval presence in the North Sea is currently connected to the diverted freighter which is of great importance for Russia. On Feb28, the “Sparta IV” was off Istanbul and was supposed to travel through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea to Novorossiysk, the previous hub for Russian military supplies via the Kerch Bridge. As Ukraine expanded naval drone attacks, sinking a landing ship on Feb 14 and a corvette on March 5 and the “Sparta IV” narrowly escaped an attack by Ukrainian Magura-type drones on its way from Novorossiysk to the Bosphorus last year, it is shown that the Russian Navy has not yet succeeded in developing effective defense concepts. The “Sparta IV” turned around off the Bosphorus on Feb 26 and sailed back through the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea. Together with two other supply ships from the Russian army, the ship set course for the Baltic Sea at the beginning of March. Another aspect for the change of course could be that Russia would have to bring military equipment that is landed in Novorossiysk to the front via the Kerch Bridge. So it may be that Russia is now trying not to necessarily carry important supplies over this bridge if there are alternatives such as the Baltic Sea. The freighter “Sparta IV” belongs to the Russian state shipping company SC South LLC in Novorossiysk. The same shipping company also owns the freighter “URSA Major”, which was on its way to the Black Sea behind the “Sparta IV” and has now also set course for the Baltic Sea. Both ships were in the English Channel on March 18. The freighters are followed by a Russian tanker. According to the visible inputs in the AIS devices on board, the destination ports are now the Russian military base Baltiysk in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg. The ships are no longer allowed to pass through the Kiel Canal because they are high on the US and EU sanctions lists. The freighter “Sparta IV” was last seen in the Kiel Canal in Dec 2021, when it was carrying cargo from Russia on its way to the Black Sea. Even then, the ship was suspected of transporting high-value military goods. The return of the “Sparta IV” to the Baltic Sea could also be the reason for the Baltic Fleet’s naval maneuvers that have been underway for several days. Corvettes, frigates and aircraft practice attacks on sea targets and submarines. The frigate “Neustrashimy” sailed past Rügen through the Kadet Trench and Fehmarn Belt on MArch 18 en route to the North Sea. The frigate was shadowed by the patrol ships “Bamberg” and “Neustadt” and the German mine diving boat “Rottweil” from Kiel as well as the patrol boat “Nymfen” of the Danish Navy. The “Neustrashimy” followed the Russian naval tanker “Kola”, which has been in the North Sea since the weekend.