Portugal Colonial - Damaged Russian tanker has 700 tonnes of fuel on board: Moscow

A series of explosions rocked the 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz on March 3, causing serious damage to the vessel and forcing its crew to evacuate.

Russia said the ship, sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being part of Moscow's "shadow fleet", was attacked by Ukrainian sea drones. Ukraine has not commented.

"The vessel itself has sustained serious damage: banging sounds are being heard on board, gas emissions are being reported, the ship is listing more rapidly and localised fires have been spotted," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"At the time the vessel was abandoned, fuel (450 metric tonnes of heavy fuel and 250 metric tonnes of diesel fuel), as well as a significant amount of natural gas, remained in its bunker tanks," she added.

AFP footage from Sunday showed the ship drifting around 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta, its stern and hull blackened by fire.

Any spill could cause long-lasting pollution in the area, among the most biodiverse in the Mediterranean basin, the WWF environmental group reported Friday.

Salvage experts are in Malta in preparation for the ship's arrival in Maltese waters, a maritime source told AFP on Sunday.

V.Dantas--PC