Russian gas tanker catches fire in Mediterranean Sea: What is known
Photo: Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz (marinetraffic.com)
In the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), is on fire. The vessel is under US and UK sanctions, and the incident may have been caused by an attack by a maritime drone, Reuters informs.
Read also: India carries out first operation against Russia's shadow fleet
Fire at sea: Crew’s fate unknown
According to sources in the shipping and maritime safety sectors, the Russian-flagged tanker caught fire on Tuesday, March 3. The fate of the vessel’s crew remains unknown.
According to data from the MarineTraffic platform, the ship last reported its location on Monday, when it was passing near the coast of Malta.
Photo: Russian gas tanker caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea (marinetraffic.com)
Drone attack suspected
One of the agency’s sources reported that the vessel may have been attacked by a military maritime drone. Ukraine is suspected of carrying out this operation, although no official evidence has been provided so far.
The tanker Arctic Metagaz is on the list of vessels sanctioned by the US and the UK due to its links with the Russian energy sector.
Russia’s shadow fleet
Belgium set a precedent by intercepting a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet on March 1. The vessel was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge for subsequent seizure.
The raid involved 93 servicemen, service dogs, and the French Navy. After boarding, inspectors uncovered a classic shadow fleet scheme: the vessel was using fake documents and sailing under the flag of another state.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation, calling the seized ship a "floating wallet of Moscow." The head of state also urged EU countries not to stop at seizures, but to move toward confiscating such tankers and using their resources to strengthen European security.
