A sanctioned Russian tanker adrift in the Mediterranean poses a “serious” ecological threat as a gaping hole pours fuel and natural gas into the sea.
Nine EU countries have written a joint letter to the European Commission, as one Italian official called the Arctic Metagaz an “environmental bomb” waiting to go off.
The tanker is floating in waters between Malta and Italy.
Its state posed a “dual challenge”: upholding maritime safety and preventing an “ecological disaster”, against the background of EU sanctions imposed on Russia.
“The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the Union’s maritime space,” the letter said.
Alfredo Mantovano, the secretary of Italy’s Council of Ministers, urgently warned that the tanker could “explode at any moment”, in a statement to Italy’s Radio 24.
The EU said the vessel was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” intended to circumvent sanctions imposed in connection with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
It set out from the Russian port of Murmansk in February but caught fire in early March.
Russia condemned the incident as an “act of international terrorism and maritime piracy”, claiming the attack occurred near Maltese international waters with drones launched from Libya.
Kyiv has not claimed any responsibility for the attack.
Russia’s transport ministry reported at the time that all 30 Russian crew members on board the vessel, which caught fire, were safe.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement on the ministry website that Moscow was in touch with the vessel’s owner and foreign “competent bodies”.
It had no crew, she said, and was carrying 700 metric tonnes of different types of fuel and “a substantial amount of natural gas”.
“The international legal norms applicable to the current situation imply the responsibility of coastal countries ... for resolving the situation with the drifting vessel and preventing an environmental disaster,” Ms Zakharova wrote.
“Further involvement by the shipowner and Russia as the flag state will depend on the specific circumstances.”
Russia’s transport ministry earlier this month claimed the Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones and said the weapons had been launched from the Libyan coast.
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