A damaged Russian LNG tanker is drifting uncontrolled in the Mediterranean after what Moscow says was a Ukrainian drone attack, triggering alarm across Europe over a potential ecological disaster in the heart of EU waters, as the stricken tanker is somewhere between sunny Malta and Italy's beautiful resort town Lampedusa.
The carrier Arctic Metagaz was reportedly attacked east of Malta earlier this month, and is in a deteriorating state, raising fears of a major spill. A letter cited by Reuters outlines the alarm raised by Italy, France and several other EU states, who have told Brussels that the situation poses an "immediate and serious risk" to both maritime safety and the environment.
"The unstable condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialized cargo, creates an immediate and serious risk of a major environmental disaster in the very center of the EU maritime space," the document laid out.
The crisis actually highlights a "double problem" - per officials - namely containing the environmental issue while also navigating EU sanctions on Russian energy exports. Or in essence, Europe wants to look the other way while Ukraine engages in the high-risk behavior of targeting so-called dark fleet Russian tankers.
Moscow is in turn highlighting the contradictions and irony here, pointing the finger squarely at Kiev for creating the crisis, and as 'blowback' on the EU.
Russia’s Transport Ministry has said, "The tanker was traveling with cargo, issued according to all international rules, from the port of Murmansk. The attack on him was carried out from the coast of Libya by unmanned boats of Ukraine."
So this appears a rare or even unprecedented instance of the Ukrainians using a foothold on the Mediterranean to attack Russian interests.
Malta has meanwhile confirmed the vessel is drifting without crew and remains "in an uncontrolled state" - with Italy now coordinating monitoring efforts as it floats within Malta’s search-and-rescue zone. Ticking time bomb?
Surveillance footage shows the 277-meter Arctic Metagaz smoldering and listing heavily to one side with a massive gash in its port hull. The vessel, identified as part of Moscow’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet, is a floating powder keg carrying approximately 900 metric tons of diesel and over 60,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The ship was reportedly struck by maritime and aerial drones on March 3 in neutral waters about 168 nautical miles southeast of Malta while en route from Murmansk to Egypt. The 30-person crew abandoned the burning vessel and were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard, according to CNN.
Both Italy and Malta have reportedly sent tugboats and anti-pollution assets to monitor the vessel, also enforcing a strict five-nautical-mile exclusion zone as it drifts with not steering or control. Here's more from the Kremlin:
"Notably, the attack occurred in close proximity to the shores of an EU member state, yet none of the European nations have condemned the incident to date," Zakharova said while calling the incident as "a flagrant violation of international law".
The whole episode and potential further ecological disaster serves to underscore how the Ukraine war continues to spillover into the heart of Europe. NATO's role in the war has meanwhile only deepened.