SPARTA IV

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Russia continues to transport military equipment back from Syria

The 'Sparta IV' is heading to the port of Tartus to pick up military equipment left behind by the Russians after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime anid is actually destined to Port Said with an ETA as of Fe 12, 2025. The military equipment transported by Russian cargo vessels will significantly bolster the Kremlin's supplies, which the ongoing war in Ukraine has seriously depleted. On the morning of Feb 8, several Russian container ships carrying weapons taken from Syria departed the Mediterranean Sea and entered the Atlantic Ocean, traveling north along the western coast of Portugal. They were accompanied by the landing ships 'Ivan Grien' and 'Aleksandr Otrakovsky' and the tanker 'General Skobielev'. In the Atlantic, the fleet was joined by the British fast patrol boat HMS 'Cutlass', which was responsible for protecting the waters around Gibraltar. The two Russian frigates 'Admiral Grigorovich' and 'Admiral Golovko', which had been assisting Sparta and Sparta II since they left Syrian waters on Jan 27, were not seen in the Atlantic. Their absence may indicate that they have turned around and are now escorting the 'Sparta IV', and once loaded, they will probably accompany it westward to save it from the fate of the 'Ursa Major', which sank off the coast of Oran, Algeria, on Dec 23 following an explosion. For two months, the Russian Navy tanker 'Yelnya' had been stationed off the coast of Algeria, waiting for two ships, and likely refueled these on Feb 6, allowing them to reach Syria. The Russian convoy navigating the Mediterranean was under constant surveillance by NATO aircraft and drones. It was likely shadowed alternately by two nuclear-powered submarines: the American USS 'Indiana' and the British HMS 'Anson'. These submarines made several trips back and forth through the Strait of Gibraltar in Jan and Feb.

Russian convoy shadowed by NATO forces

On May 23, 2024, the 'Sparta IV', along with the corvette 'Orekhovo-Zuyevo', the landing ships 'Ivan Gren' and 'Aleksandr Ortakovskiy', the surveillance ship 'Kildin' and the fleet tanker 'Kama' were observed during the transit of the Baltic Sea. The Russian Navy was withdrawing units from the Mediterranean. On May 25 anbd May 26 NATO and Federal Police units were deployed to monitor the transit of the five Russian warships along with the freighter to Russian bases in Northern Europe. The missile corvette was relocated from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean in January 2021 and has to be overhauled after three years in Tartus. The convoy has been shadowed by several NATO ships since the start of May. In the North Sea, the Dutch corvette 'Holland' as well as the British patrol ship "Tyne" and the Belgian patrol boat "Castor". The convoy used the so-called Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the North Sea states, where an internationally agreed right of free passage applies. The "Kildin", the "Sparta IV" and the "Orekhovo-Zuevo" sailed through the Great Belt and the Fehmarn Belt into the Baltic Sea on May 25. Along German territorial waters, the Federal Police monitored the Russian ships with the "Bayreuth" and "Neustadt". The "Sparta IV" had loaded military supplies from Syria for Baltiysk, the military port of the Kaliningrad Oblast. For the heavy-lift ship, this is already the second trip with military supplies from Syria to Kaliningrad. The two landing ships and the tanker are still in the North Sea. They are expected to continue to their home port on the Kolafjord near Murmansk during the week. It is not known what the ships are loaded with. The reason for the units' long journey is the Russian Navy's lack of shipyard capacity in Syria. There are no docks for its units in the Mediterranean. Photos: https://x.com/kon_marine/status/1793650665740534179

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.