Overview
- Italy, France and seven other EU members asked the European Commission for urgent measures, warning the drifting vessel poses an imminent risk of a major ecological disaster, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
- Italian authorities say the Arctic Metagaz holds roughly 900 metric tons of diesel and more than 60,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas inside a damaged but still intact hull.
- Italy and Malta are monitoring the ship near the Pelagie Islands with tugs and anti-pollution resources on standby, and Malta has tasked a specialist salvage team to weigh towing against scuttling.
- The tanker is alleged to belong to Russia’s sanctions‑evading ‘shadow fleet,’ and officials in Italy and Malta say they have not confirmed contact with the owner, LLC SMP Techmanagement.
- Russia attributes the March 3 attack to Ukrainian drones, the 30 crew were rescued to Benghazi by the Libyan Coast Guard, and Ukraine has not commented.