Damaged Russian fuel tanker drifts towards Libyan coast - Reuters

A damaged Russian liquefied natural gas tanker, which has been drifting in the Mediterranean Sea for the past two weeks, has now entered Libya's search and rescue waters, the Italian civil protection agency said on Wednesday. Reuters reports this, writes UNN.

Details

It is noted that the biggest current threat is a possible gas leak, although no leaks have been detected so far.

"Gas dispersion is a very real possibility," an agency spokesman said, adding that it is still unknown how much gas remains on board, as two tanks remain intact, but some of the cargo may have already dispersed into the sea.

Italy, France, Spain and six other southern EU countries warned in a letter to the European Commission that the Arctic Metagaz tanker poses a serious environmental threat and called on the EU to take action.

The Italian civil protection agency noted that any intervention regarding the tanker now falls under Libya's jurisdiction due to its location, where marine conditions are currently unfavorable.

The EU said the vessel is part of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to circumvent sanctions imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea and stated that Moscow's involvement in resolving the situation depends on "specific circumstances."

The Russian Ministry of Transport earlier this month reported that the Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones, and stated that the weapons were launched from the coast of Libya.

Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any such attack.

Recall

The damaged vessel Arctic Metagaz with 60 thousand tons of gas threatens an environmental catastrophe. The crew was evacuated after a drone attack in international waters.

Russia officially confirmed the damage to its LNG tanker in the Mediterranean Sea04.03.26, 11:41 • 7603 views