A Russian tanker badly damaged in a Mediterranean attack last week is drifting unmanned toward Libya’s coast, Italy’s civil protection service said.
Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Arctic Metagaz, which carried liquefied natural gas from Russia to Egypt when it was hit on March 3.
Italian officials said no fuel leaks were detected, but they could not confirm the fate of the tanker’s gas consignment.
The 30-member crew abandoned the vessel, which is under US and EU sanctions for allegedly evading restrictions as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Ukraine has not commented, while Mediterranean nations closely monitor the tanker, with salvage experts on standby in Malta awaiting the next move.
Russia claimed the ship carried about 700 tonnes of fuel and its gas cargo, while Libya said 62,000 tonnes of LNG were bound for Egypt.
Civil protection chief Pierfrancesco Demilito said the fuel had not dispersed, but the vessel remained in Libya’s search and rescue zone, 53 nautical miles north of Tripoli.
Demilito warned the tanker is “potentially dangerous” due to explosion risks, noting it was severely damaged and complex to tow safely.
The ship suffers a large lateral breach, remains unstable, but is not showing immediate signs of sinking, he said at a press briefing.
AFP images showed extensive fire and explosion damage, with blackened sections and two holes on each side, illustrating the ship’s fragile state.