FEARS are mounting that one of Vladimir Putin’s “shadow fleet” tankers floating in the Mediterranean Sea could “explode at any moment.”
Arctic Metagaz – a ship reportedly loaded with 61,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas and 700 tonnes of diesel fuel – has been described as a ticking time bomb.
With no crew on board and a smouldering gash in one side, the vessel has been adrift at sea following an alleged drone strike two weeks ago.
European Union (EU) states warned the European Commission that the tanker poses “imminent and serious” threat.
“The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the Union’s maritime space,” a letter to the Commission said.
Speaking on Italy‘s Radio 24, the secretary of Italy‘s Council of Ministers, Alfredo Mantovano, said the risks from the tanker were “enormous” and warned that it could “explode at any moment”.
Footage taken from above shows the blackened ship drifting to one side.
A massive hole can be seen on its port side and a substance in the waters around it.
The letter confirmed that Arctic Metagaz was drifting in waters between Malta and Italy.
Italy’s civil protection agency said earlier today that the tanker has now reached Libyan waters.
This means that any intervention would now fall under Libyan authority due to its location, where sea conditions are currently rough.
The EU had earlier pointed to its state, which posed a “dual challenge” – stopping an ecological disaster against the background of EU sanctions imposed on Russia, but also upholding maritime safety.
Any action to resolve the situation – including surveillance, monitoring and other technical support – risked “undermining the integrity, effectiveness and the deterrent value of the EU sanctions regime”.
The Russian foreign ministry acknowledged the tanker was adrift in the Mediterranean, and said further involvement would depend on “concrete circumstances”.
Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the ministry was in touch with the owner and foreign “competent bodies”.
“The international legal norms applicable to the current situation imply the responsibility of coastal countries … for resolving the situation with the drifting vessel and preventing an environmental disaster,” she wrote.
“Further involvement by the shipowner and Russia as the flag state will depend on the specific circumstances.”
Earlier this month, Russia’s transport ministry accused Ukraine for hitting Arctic Metagaz with naval drones, with Putin describing it as a “terrorist attack”.
It claimed the weapons had been launched from the Libyan coast.
Following the alleged strike, the ship lost propulsion and power, resulting in a fire and gas explosion.
All the sailors managed to evacuate the burning vessel aboard a lifeboat, but two of them sustained serious burns.
Ukraine is yet to take responsibility for the attack – but the war-torn state sees such “shadow” Russian tankers as legitimate targets.
