March 19, 2026

Abandoned Russian tanker drifts in the Mediterranean. The crew left the ship after a drone attack, fuel remained on board. This threatens the environment

The Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, carrying liquefied natural gas, has been drifting in the Mediterranean Sea for over two weeks following a drone attack and a fire on board. The crew was evacuated, but the damaged vessel with its dangerous cargo remains uncontrolled, posing a risk of a major environmental disaster. EU countries are calling for urgent response measures. More details about the incident are in the material by "Novaya-Europe". Photo of the tanker Arctic Metagaz: Matthew Xuereb / Newsbook Malta / AFP / Scanpix / LETA.Attack on Arctic Metagaz The Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, carrying liquefied natural gas, is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on March 3rd at 4:25 AM, the gas carrier with 30 Russian sailors on board was attacked. According to Russian MFA representative Maria Zakharova, sea and air drones struck it in neutral waters 168 nautical miles southeast of the coast of Malta. The vessel, carrying 100,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, lost propulsion and power, and a fire and gas explosion occurred on board. All sailors were evacuated by lifeboat and rescued that same evening. Zakharova also reported that two crew members sustained serious burns during the fire, but Maltese maritime authorities refused to evacuate the Russian sailors. The Libyan maritime rescue service provided assistance, and the injured were taken to a hospital on shore in the port of Benghazi. They were later transferred to Russia. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack on Arctic Metagaz a "terrorist act and a war crime." "This is a terrorist attack. This is not the first time we have encountered things of this nature," Vladimir Putin also stated. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attacking the tanker. According to Putin, "the Kyiv regime is biting, in fact, the hand that feeds it, namely, the hand from the European Union," because the problems with the tanker "exacerbate the situation on global energy markets." Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the attack on Arctic Metagaz and have not claimed responsibility for it. What is known about the tanker? The gas carrier Arctic Metagaz was designed in 2003 in South Korea specifically for operation on the Northern Sea Route. It initially belonged to the Norwegian company Bergesen. It also sailed under the flags of Singapore, Liberia, and Palau, and then transferred to the Russian flag and was renamed "Arctic Metagaz" in 2025. According to data from 2025, the owner of the vessel is the Indian company Ocean Speedstar Solutions OPC Private Limited. "When we talk about an LNG tanker, we imagine it as a liquefaction plant capable of maintaining extremely low temperatures and keeping gas in a liquid state. The second point is that this plant is housed in the hull of an icebreaker capable of overcoming ice and ice cover of a sufficiently high class," described its head of the expert council for Arctic development at the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Alexey Fadeev. As "Kommersant" notes, the vessel was transporting LNG from the Russian "Arctic LNG-2" project in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to a Chinese terminal in Beihai. In February, the tanker departed from the port of Murmansk, but its exact destination is unknown. Arctic Metagaz is included in the US, UK, and EU sanctions lists and is part of Russia's "shadow fleet." Photo of the tanker Arctic Metagaz: Matthew Xuereb / Newsbook Malta / AFP / Scanpix / LETA.Reactions and consequences Since March 3rd, the vessel has been drifting in the Mediterranean Sea for over two weeks. Initially, the Libyan maritime agency reported that the vessel had sunk, but it was later clarified that the tanker remained afloat. For some time, it drifted between Malta and Italy, and now it is being carried towards Libya. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela emphasized that Malta has a contingency plan in place, but did not specify what it entails. On March 18th, Italian authorities reported that they could no longer closely monitor Arctic Metagaz as it was outside Italian territorial waters. On the same day, Libyan authorities warned that vessels and oil platforms off the coast of Libya should be cautious due to the listing vessel, but did not announce any specific response measures. Italy, France, and seven other EU countries sent a letter to the European Commission calling for prompt action. They note that the Russian tanker presents a "dual problem" – ensuring maritime safety and preventing an environmental disaster. "The unstable condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its special cargo, creates an imminent and serious risk of a major environmental catastrophe in the very heart of the Union's maritime space," the letter states. In a statement from the Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund, it is said that a possible leak of liquefied natural gas "could cause fires, cryogenic clouds, which are deadly for marine life, as well as widespread and long-term pollution of water and the atmosphere." As CNN reports, satellite footage shows a "smoking, blackened vessel with a huge hole on its port side, listing to one side." A film of an unknown substance has also formed on the water around the tanker. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has declared a state of "maximum alert" and demands immediate preventive measures to prevent leaks. The organization's statement indicates that the vessel may be carrying 900 tons of diesel fuel and over 60,000 tons of LNG. According to WWF, a potential leak could lead to forest fires, the formation of cryogenic clouds deadly to marine fauna, as well as large-scale and long-term pollution of water and the atmosphere. "This area is of exceptional ecological value, possessing vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems and one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin. It is home to, among other things, almost all protected marine species of the Mediterranean," the foundation points out.