Russia officially confirmed the damage to its LNG tanker in the Mediterranean Sea

Russia confirmed the damage to the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean Sea and accused Ukraine, as stated by the Russian Ministry of Transport, writes UNN.

Details

The Russian agency stated that "on March 3, an attack was carried out on the Russian vessel - the gas carrier "Arctic Metagaz" - in the immediate vicinity of the territorial waters of the EU member state, the Republic of Malta. The tanker was en route with cargo, processed according to all international rules, from the port of Murmansk." The Russian Ministry of Transport accused Ukraine of committing this alleged attack "from the coast of Libya with uncrewed boats."

The crew of 30 Russian citizens, as claimed by the Russian Ministry of Transport, was not injured.

LNG tanker under Russian flag on fire in the Mediterranean Sea03.03.26, 21:49 • 6712 views

As Reuters notes, on Tuesday, maritime security sources reported that the Russian-flagged LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea, while the Maltese armed forces stated that the vessel's crew was found safe in a lifeboat in the Libyan search and rescue region (SRR).

The vessel, which is under US and UK sanctions, last reported its location off the coast of Malta on Monday, according to vessel tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.

"One source, without providing evidence, said the vessel may have been attacked by a military drone, and Ukraine is suspected of carrying out the operation," Reuters noted.

The Maltese armed forces stated that they received a distress call regarding the vessel and found it, without specifying the vessel's condition.

"During the search operations, survivors were found in the Libyan SRR in a lifeboat. All crew members are reportedly safe on board the lifeboat," the press release posted on Facebook said.

The vessel's Russian management company, SMP Techmanagement LLC, Russian LNG producer Novatek, and the Russian Ministry of Transport, as reported by the publication, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Security Service of Ukraine, as indicated by Reuters, did not separately respond to a request for comment.