Portugal Colonial - Blackened, wrecked Russian tanker nears Malta

The 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz has been drifting without a crew since a series of explosions scuppered the vessel off Libya on March 3.

On Sunday lunchtime, it was 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta.

AFP footage taken from a plane showed it listing onto one side, parts of it blackened and seriously damaged by fire, with two holes either side in the middle of the hull.

Russia accused Ukraine of a drone attack on the ship, which had been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being one of Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet".

The fleet is made up of ageing tankers that carry Russia's oil and gas around the world, skirting Western restrictions.

Russia said that all 30 crew members had been rescued. Ukraine, which Moscow invaded in February 2022, has not commented.

Authorities in Malta and Italy have been monitoring the passage of the wreck, amid pollution fears.

Rome has said the ship was carrying "significant quantities of gas, heavy oil, and diesel fuel".

Libya's port authority said the ship had been carrying roughly 62,000 metric tonnes of LNG intended for Egypt.

Environmental group WWF this week said it was also carrying 900 tonnes of diesel fuel, and warned this could cause huge damage if it spilled into the sea.

"A potential spill could cause fires, cryogenic clouds lethal to marine life, and widespread and long-lasting pollution of water and the atmosphere," WWF Italy warned in a statement.

"The affected area is of exceptional ecological value, with fragile deep-sea ecosystems and some of the highest biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin."

The Libyan port authority said the ship was hit by "sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking" north of the port of Sirte.

However, Malta's transport authority last week said the wreck was still afloat, drifting without a crew between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with her defence, foreign, energy, maritime and civil protection ministers on Friday to discuss the situation.

Afterwards, her office confirmed it was in contact with Malta and willing to help where necessary.

Salvage experts are already in Malta in preparation for the ship's arrival in Maltese waters, while a specialist vessel is on its way, a maritime source told AFP on Sunday.

E.Raimundo--PC