Libyan authorities have lost control of the damaged Russian gas tanker Arctic Metagaz (IMO: 9243148), the Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority announced earlier today. The tanker, which was targeted in a suspected Ukrainian sea drone attack off the coast of Malta on March 3, was being towed to a Libyan port. However, it drifted out of control after adverse weather in the Mediterranean caused the cable connecting the ship to a tugboat to snap.
Khaled Ghulam, a representative of Libya’s emergency committee handling the incident, called on other countries to assist with towing the vessel. In comments to Russia’s state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti, Ghulam said:
“Given the current weather fluctuations in the Mediterranean, no one can predict what will happen to the tanker. This situation requires competent authorities in Mediterranean countries to follow the example of the Libyan authorities, who have made every effort to bring the tanker under control.”
Libya’s National Oil Corporation confirmed in late March that the Arctic Metagaz was to be towed to a Libyan port. At the time, the vessel was drifting toward the country’s coast, posing a risk of environmental pollution. According to sources cited by Reuters, an unknown quantity of liquefied gas remains on board, making the vessel potentially dangerous. One of the sources called the ship “a ticking time bomb full of gas.”
The tanker was damaged on March 3 in the Mediterranean Sea. Russia’s Transport Ministry claimed the attack was carried out by Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels launched from the Libyan coast. There were 30 Russian crew members on board, all of whom were evacuated. The Russian ministry insisted the tanker had departed from the port of Murmansk carrying cargo “processed in full compliance with international regulations.”
