A Russian oil tanker under European Union and UK sanctions has lost control near the Algerian coast and is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, according to reports.

The LR2-class tanker, Progress, was carrying around 720,000-730,000 barrels of Russia’s Urals crude.

It had been heading east along the North African coast towards the Suez Canal when it suddenly turned north on 21 January, leaving the main shipping lanes.

By the night of 22 January, its navigational status changed to “Not under command,” meaning it could not manoeuvre properly.

Its speed dropped to about one knot (1.9 km/h), and by 23 January, the tanker was still drifting east.

Open-source tracking and social media posts showed the vessel’s route change and drift, along with images identified as the tanker.

According to experts, the change in course, drop in speed, and navigational status may be due to technical problems.

The vessel is managed by Legacy Marine LLC in St Petersburg and is 19 years old.

It has changed its name twice since being sanctioned and recently switched to the Russian flag, being registered with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in November.

In recent weeks, the French Navy detained a Russian tanker suspected of flying a false flag, and the US forces detained the sanctioned tanker Sagitta in the Caribbean on 21 January.

In total, at least seven such detentions have been reported.

Authorities are monitoring Progress closely due to its large crude cargo and its location outside main shipping lanes in a busy maritime area.

References: united24media, newsukraine