Russia has shown a photo of its sanctioned gas tanker «Arctic Metagaz», which was damaged in March off the coast of Malta while en route from the port of Murmansk to China.
It is reported that Russian representatives accused Ukraine of the attack. The Ukrainian side did not comment on the accusations.
It is noted that representatives of the Russian Investigative Committee have now arrived in Libya to conduct the necessary investigative actions and inspected the vessel using unmanned aerial vehicles and underwater vehicles.
The investigation is studying the data from the vessel’s flight recorder, reports the official representative of the Russian Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko.According to her, the investigators «recorded traces of fire, complete destruction of the vessel’s control systems and the destruction of two of the four gas tanks.»
«The nature of the damage indicates the external impact of the striking factors of explosive devices. During the inspection, no signs of environmental pollution were found, no fuel leaks were detected,» Petrenko reported.
«It has been established that on March 3, 2026, while en route from the port of Murmansk to China off the coast of Malta, a Russian vessel carrying liquefied gas was attacked by at least two unmanned aerial vehicles and at least three unmanned boats equipped with explosive devices,» the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said.
The Russian Ministry of Transport stated that the Russian gas tanker Arctic Metagas was attacked in the Mediterranean Sea near the territorial waters of Malta on March 3. The agency of the country waging war against Ukraine qualified it «as an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy.»
The crew abandoned the vessel, and it drifted between Libya and Malta. Environmentalists believe that it is necessary to take the ship under control as soon as possible, pump out the fuel oil and sink it in a controlled manner. If there is a leak of fuel oil and diesel fuel, it will have catastrophic consequences for the environment.
