Italian authorities have sounded urgent alarms over a sanctioned Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, which is now drifting uncontrollably in the Mediterranean Sea. Officials warn the vessel could explode at any moment, potentially triggering a major environmental disaster.
The tanker, Arctic Metagaz, part of a so-called “shadow fleet” used to transport sanctioned Russian oil and gas, was severely damaged earlier this month in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters.
Italy, together with eight other European Union countries, has written to the European Commission calling for immediate action, describing the drifting tanker as a severe environmental threat.
An Italian official even called the vessel an “environmental bomb” on the verge of detonating.
On Italy’s Radio 24, Secretary of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano warned that the tanker posed “enormous” risks and could “explode at any moment.”
The tanker is reported to be carrying large quantities of liquefied natural gas, along with roughly 450 tonnes of fuel oil and 250 tonnes of diesel, increasing the potential severity of any explosion or spill.
Currently drifting southward from Italian waters and the island of Lampedusa toward Libya, the vessel is under close surveillance by Italian and Maltese authorities.
As of Tuesday afternoon, it was approximately 45 nautical miles from Italian territorial waters and 25 miles from Libya’s designated search-and-rescue zone.
The Arctic Metagaz departed from the Russian port of Murmansk in February before experiencing a series of explosions and a fire in early March. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine, calling it a “terrorist attack,” though Kyiv has not officially responded to the claim.
Ukraine has consistently argued that such “shadow fleet” vessels are legitimate targets, noting they operate with transponders turned off to bypass Western sanctions and generate revenue that supports Russia’s war effort.
Meanwhile, Moscow has continued targeting Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure since the beginning of its full-scale invasion.
