Mediterranean Faces Environmental Crisis as Damaged Russian Tanker Drifts

A damaged Russian oil tanker carrying explosive fuel is drifting unmanned in the Mediterranean Sea after a suspected drone attack. Five European nations are urgently requesting EU assistance to prevent what they warn could be a major environmental disaster.

Mediterranean nations are sounding the alarm about a crippled Russian fuel tanker that’s been floating without a crew since suffering damage in what officials believe was a drone strike earlier this month.

The vessel, known as the Arctic Metagaz, belongs to Russia’s unofficial fleet that transports oil and gas despite international sanctions. The ship was transporting liquefied natural gas when it sustained severe damage in waters near Malta.

Leaders from Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece and Cyprus have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, describing the situation as urgent. They’re asking the European Union to activate emergency response protocols to deal with what they call an environmental emergency waiting to happen.

Spanish officials and three other European Union representatives, who requested anonymity due to authorization restrictions, verified the letter’s contents on Wednesday.

The Mediterranean countries are pushing for a coordinated response from Brussels, emphasizing concerns about the ship’s deteriorating state and dangerous cargo.

“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 leaders stated in their correspondence.

While the entire crew was rescued safely, the vessel remains adrift with its volatile cargo of LNG and additional fuels, creating an explosion risk.

The letter also addressed wider concerns about ships that don’t follow international safety protocols, pointing to ongoing dangers for Mediterranean shipping lanes and marine ecosystems.

The five nations plan to discuss these concerns during this week’s European Council session and have expressed readiness to work with EU officials toward what they termed “a swift, European-led resolution.”

Recent reports from Malta indicate the tanker has moved from its earlier position between Malta and Sicily’s Lampedusa island and is now drifting toward Libyan waters.

Italian government official Alfredo Mantovano told radio listeners Monday that Malta has established a 7-kilometer safety perimeter around the vessel, “because the vessel could explode at any moment.”