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Malta’s transport authority confirmed on Tuesday that the LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz is drifting in the Mediterranean, contradicting earlier reports from Libya that the vessel had sunk following the March 3 explosion southeast of the island.
Malta’s Ports and Yachting Directorate issued a notice to mariners on March 10 warning that the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Arctic Metagaz is “not under command” and drifting in the central Mediterranean. The vessel, initially reported as sunk, is now located at 35º24’.000 N and 14º27’.000 E, approximately 37 nautical miles south of Malta.
The notice instructs all vessels to maintain a minimum distance of five nautical miles from the tanker and prohibits navigation in its vicinity.
This official notice confirms that the vessel did not sink but has been slowly drifting westward following the initial explosion roughly 170 nautical miles southeast of Malta.
Daily survey flights by the Malta Armed Forces had already suggested that the tanker remained afloat. Data from FlightRadar24 shows a series of monitoring flights moving progressively closer to Maltese waters since at least March 6. The latest flight on March 10 tracked the vessel at the same coordinates as indicated in the notice to mariners.
Authorities in Malta are reportedly drawing up contingency plans in the event that the vessel drifts into the country’s territorial waters. Officials have contacted the tanker’s owner, although no details about potential salvage operations for the sanctioned vessel have been released.
Prime Minister Robert Abela emphasized Malta’s preparedness. “If the tanker does float into our territorial waters, we will take the necessary action to ensure the security of our country,” he said, underlining the ongoing risk posed by the drifting vessel.
The current condition of the Arctic Metagaz remains a concern. Latest imagery indicates that the vessel is listing to starboard, with its number two LNG tank destroyed. Other compartments appear structurally intact, but the vessel shows extensive fire damage. Maltese authorities have established a five-nautical-mile quarantine zone, suggesting that the tanker may still hold volatile cargo.
No official confirmation has been released regarding the quantity of LNG remaining on board. Transport Malta has urged all vessels in the area to exercise extreme caution stressing that navigation near the Arctic Metagaz is strictly prohibited until further notice.
Experts say the prolonged drifting of the tanker reduces the likelihood of it immediately sinking, although the eventual fate of the vessel remains uncertain.
“If the structure of the vessel (double hull) is not affected, the probabilistic stability of this kind of vessel with damage to only one tank should prevent it from sinking, but this will depend on sea conditions,” explains Hervé Baudu, Professor Emeritus of Maritime Education at the French Maritime Academy (ENSM).
The vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet carrying LNG for the Arctic LNG 2 project. It loaded cargo at Saam FSU near Murmansk on February 17 before suffering an apparent explosion and massive fire two weeks later.
The Russian government claimed the incident was a deliberate attack by Ukraine calling it an “act of international terrorism and maritime piracy.” Ukraine has not publicly commented on the event. The crew of thirty made it into life rafts and was rescued by another Russian shadow fleet tanker, the Respect, passing nearby.
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