Ask Onix
Russian LNG tanker sinks following explosions
A Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, the Arctic Metagaz, sank in the Mediterranean Sea after sustaining explosions and a subsequent fire, Libyan port officials confirmed. The vessel went down approximately 240 kilometers north of Sirte, Libya, carrying around 62,000 tonnes of LNG.
Russia blames Ukraine for drone attack
Moscow accused Kyiv of launching uncrewed sea drones from the Libyan coast to target the tanker. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incident as a "terrorist attack," while the transport ministry labeled it "maritime piracy." No evidence was provided to support the claim, though unverified footage circulating online shows the vessel engulfed in flames.
Ukraine's SBU security service declined to comment. However, a government-affiliated social media account, United24, posted a cryptic message suggesting the drones were "Definitely. Maybe" not part of Ukraine's fleet.
Crew rescued, cause of fire unclear
All 30 Russian crew members were safely evacuated into a lifeboat and later rescued by Malta's armed forces, according to Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. Libyan authorities stated the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Marine tracking data showed the Arctic Metagaz had last transmitted its position off Malta's southeast coast the day before the incident. Analysts believe the crew likely disabled the vessel's automatic identification system before the attack.
Tanker part of Russia's sanctioned "shadow fleet"
The Arctic Metagaz was en route from Murmansk, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt, as part of Moscow's so-called shadow fleet-a network of aging tankers used to bypass Western sanctions. The vessel had been widely sanctioned due to its role in transporting Russian energy exports.
Russia has increasingly relied on such fleets to sustain oil and gas revenues, which fund its ongoing war in Ukraine. Kyiv has previously targeted similar vessels in the Black Sea, though attacks in the Mediterranean mark a significant geographic expansion.
Unverified images surface amid tensions
Serhii Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, shared unverified images on Wednesday allegedly showing the damaged tanker. The photos depict a large hole in the engine room, with Sternenko claiming the vessel was "beyond repair." The source of the images remains unconfirmed.
"This isn't the first time we've encountered something like this,"
Russian President Vladimir Putin
