A Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that was recently attacked off Libya is adrift between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Valletta port authority said Thursday, according to AFP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week accused Kiev of a “terrorist attack” against MTArctic Metagaz, which was carrying liquefied natural gas in the Mediterranean.
All 30 crew members were rescued, Moscow said.
The Libyan port authority had stated that on the night of March 3 to 4, “sudden explosions were heard on that ship, which were followed by a violent fire, which led to its sinking” north of the port of Sirte.
But the official notices sent to seafarers on Wednesday and Thursday by the Maltese authorities suggest that the Russian carrier did not completely sink, notes Agerpres.
“The Directorate of Ports and Recreational Navigation of the Ministry of Transport of Malta informs all vessels that the Russian LNG carrier MT Arctic Metagaz is out of control and adrift,” a note from the Maltese authorities said.
According to the GPS coordinates published in that note, the ship is in international waters between Malta and the small Italian island of Lampedusa. The day before, it had been located a little closer to Malta.
Vessels in the area were asked to keep a distance of at least five nautical miles from the drifting wreckage.
Kiev has not commented on the attack, which would be a rare success against a Russian ship hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Ukraine.
The Russian carrier was targeted by US and European Union sanctions as part of Russia's so-called “ghost fleet”, made up of aging tankers that carry Russian oil and gas around the world, bypassing Western restrictions.
