A Russian liquefied natural gas tanker has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Malta after explosions and a fire tore through the vessel, according to Libyan port officials.
Moscow accused Ukraine of attacking the tanker, the Arctic Metagaz, using uncrewed sea drones allegedly launched from the Libyan coast. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the claim.
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Libya’s port authority said the ship had been carrying about 62,000 tonnes of LNG when blasts occurred. The vessel later sank around 130 nautical miles north of the port of Sirte. Officials said the cause of the fire remained unclear.
Crew rescued
Russia’s transport ministry said 30 Russian nationals were on board at the time of the incident. Byron Camilleri said Malta’s armed forces carried out a rescue operation and found the crew “safe and sound in a lifeboat.”
Unverified nighttime footage circulated online appeared to show the tanker engulfed in flames. Ukrainian blogger Serhii Sternenko posted images he claimed showed significant damage to the engine room, though the origin of the pictures has not been independently confirmed.
Speaking on state television, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as a “terrorist attack.” Russia’s transport ministry called it “an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy,” and accused the European Union of complicity, without providing evidence.
Disputed claims
Ukraine’s SBU state security service declined to comment directly. A Ukrainian government-linked social media account appeared to mock Russia’s accusation, but stopped short of confirming involvement.
The Russian ministry said the tanker had departed from the northern port of Murmansk and was bound for Port Said in Egypt. The Arctic Metagaz is believed to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a network of vessels used to transport oil and gas in an effort to circumvent Western sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Marine tracking data indicated the tanker had last reported its position off the south-east coast of Malta the day before the fire. It is believed the crew may have deactivated the vessel’s automatic identification system prior to the incident.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has carried out naval drone attacks on Russian ships, primarily in the Black Sea. If confirmed, an attack in the Mediterranean would mark a significant geographic expansion of such operations.
No independent verification has yet emerged to confirm who was responsible for the sinking. Investigations are expected as regional authorities assess both the cause of the fire and the environmental impact of the vessel’s loss.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 04.03 2026