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The sanctioned LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz stopped transmitting an AIS signal on March 2. Photo: OSINTtechnical
On the morning of March 4, Russia’s Transport Ministry confirmed reports that a fire had broken out on the Russian gas carrier Arctic Metagaz (IMO: 9243148) in the Mediterranean Sea, with the ministry blaming Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels for the attack. Open source intelligence (OSINT) analysts published footage of the ship taken from the air (1, 2), in which a large hole can be seen in its hull.
According to the Transport Ministry’s version of events, the Ukrainian sea drones were launched from the coast of Libya. All 30 crew members who were on board were evacuated. There were no reports of injuries.
The ministry said the tanker was traveling from the port of Murmansk with cargo “processed in full compliance with all international rules.” The Russian Transport Ministry called what happened “an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy.”
The OSINT analyst H I Sutton noted that although the Arctic Metagaz is still afloat, the strike against it was “a complete loss for Russia.”
The maritime trade outlet gCaptain reported that the incident occurred early on March 3. On Feb. 18, Arctic Metagaz loaded liquefied natural gas at the Saam floating storage unit (FSU), then sailed around the United Kingdom and Spain and entered the Mediterranean Sea. According to Starboard Maritime Intelligence data reviewed by The Insider, Arctic Metagaz stopped transmitting an AIS signal on March 2 at about 9:30 p.m. Moscow time as it was leaving Malta’s exclusive economic zone.
Arctic Metagaz is involved in transporting sanctioned liquefied natural gas from Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project, which produces natural gas and LNG on the Gydan Peninsula. As noted by gCaptain, the company has only 11 LNG carriers, and the loss of the Arctic Metagaz could significantly complicate the project’s logistics.
Arctic LNG 2 was hit with U.S. sanctions in November 2023 and UK sanctions in February 2024. In 2025, the Arctic Metagaz itself was placed under sanctions by the European Union, Switzerland, Canada, and New Zealand.