The damaged and crewless Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, which has been drifting since March 3, is dangerously approaching the shores of Malta. It is only about 50 km away – reports the “Malta Today” daily.
The wreck of a Russian tanker is sailing towards Malta
There are still approximately 900 tons of diesel oil and 60,000 tons on the ship. tons of liquefied gas LNG. The wreck is monitored by aircraft belonging to the European Union's naval forces operating in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the IRINI mission. They conducted several flights over it to assess its location and condition.
The environmental protection organization World Wide Fund for Nature said on Friday that it was “following developments closely.” She warned that any leakage from the ship's cargo “will have serious consequences.” It may not only start a fire, but also create clouds of extremely cold gas and cause long-term pollution of coastal waters between Malta and the Italian island of Linosa, part of the Pelagian archipelago.
How many tons of diesel oil are in the tanker wreck?
What safety zone has the Maltese authorities declared?
What are the consequences of a tanker leak?
When did the Arctic Metagaz tanker transmit an SOS signal?
The latest photos confirmed that the 277-meter gas carrier is seriously damaged. In addition to missing a large portion of the port hull, there is a large hole on the starboard side. The rear of the ship, including the accommodation block and bridge, is completely burned.
Alarm in Malta. They declared a safe zone with no navigation
The Maltese authorities sounded the alarm and established a 5-mile closed safety zone with no navigation. On Friday, the Italian government convened an emergency meeting on the matter, attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other senior officials.
The Italians confirmed that the vessel is currently in the Maltese search and rescue (SAR) zone and assured Malta of its readiness to provide support.
The sanctioned Arctic Metagas was sailing from Murmansk in Russia to Port Said in Egypt, but on March 3, when it was about 200 km north of Libyan Sirte, it transmitted an SOS signal and began taking on water.
Russia believed that its tanker was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones sent from the coast of Libya. Ukraine denies these allegations.
