Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones for sinking of tanker in the Mediterranean

(Patria) - A Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker sank in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after being hit by explosions and fire, Libyan port officials said, BBC reported last night.

Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting the Arctic Metagaz with “unmanned sea drones” launched from the Libyan coast.

Ukraine’s state security service (SBU) has not commented on the allegations, and the Libyan port authority said the cause of the fire was unclear.

The Libyans said the tanker was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of LNG before the explosions and sank about 130 nautical miles (240 km) north of the Libyan port of Sirte.

Russia’s Ministry of Transport said that there were thirty Russians on board the Arctic Metagaz tanker.

Malta’s Interior Minister Byron Camilleri said that all were found “safe and sound in a life raft” during a rescue operation by the Maltese armed forces.

Unverified night-time footage has emerged, allegedly showing the ship on fire after the attack, which occurred on Tuesday.

Serhii Sternenko, a popular blogger and adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, posted photos on Wednesday morning of the tanker in the Mediterranean, which had a “serious hole in the engine room and is irreparable”.

He did not specify where the photos came from and they have not been independently verified.

“This is a terrorist attack,” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told state television.

“This is not the first time we have encountered something like this.”

Russia’s Ministry of Transport called it “an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy,” accusing the European Union of complicity.

Moscow said the Arctic Metagaz tanker, which was en route from Russia’s northern port of Murmansk, was carrying a cargo approved in accordance with international rules.

The tanker was apparently heading for Port Said in Egypt and is considered part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. Western countries have widely sanctioned that fleet.

The ministry did not provide evidence to support its claim that the tanker was attacked by Ukrainian sea drones, although there have been earlier unconfirmed reports of attacks from the Libyan coast.

The SBU told BBC Ukraine that it does not comment on “the situation with the tanker in the Mediterranean,” although a social media profile, United24, linked to the Ukrainian government, stated that drones “Definitely. Maybe” are not part of the Ukrainian fleet.

Ship tracking data indicates that the tanker last reported sailing off the southeastern coast of Malta the day before the fire.

It had covered a considerable distance by the time the fire was reported, and it is presumed that the crew had deactivated its automatic identification system.

Russia has deployed a larger number of oil and gas transport vessels in an attempt to evade international sanctions, which are aimed at reducing revenue that has been crucial for financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Its shadow fleet consists mainly of older tankers, many with unclear ownership or insurance.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, Kyiv has carried out a series of attacks on such vessels using naval drones.

However, almost all such attacks have been in the Black Sea, which is bordered by both Russia and Ukraine.