Russian-flagged sanctioned LNG tanker on fire in Mediterranean

The Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagaz is on fire ​in the Mediterranean, maritime security sources said ‌on Tuesday, while Malta's armed forces said the vessel's crew had been located safe in a lifeboat within Libya's search-and-rescue ​region, Report informs via Reuters.

The vessel, which is under US and ​UK sanctions, last reported its position as ⁠sailing off the coast of Malta on Monday, ​according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.

The ​vessel may have been attacked by a naval drone with Ukraine suspected of carrying out the operation, one of ​the sources said without providing evidence.

Malta's armed forces ​said they had received a distress message about the vessel ‌and ⁠had located it, without elaborating on the vessel's state.

"Survivors were subsequently located within the Libyan SRR in a lifeboat during the search effort. All crew ​were reported ​safely onboard ⁠the lifeboat," they said in a press release posted on Facebook.

The vessel's Russia-based ​manager LLC SMP Techmanagement, Russian LNG ​producer ⁠Novatek and Russia's transport ministry didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Security Service of Ukraine separately ⁠did ​not immediately respond to a ​request for comment.

Russian-flagged sanctioned LNG tanker on fire in Mediterranean

Malta's armed forces ​said they had received a distress message about the vessel ‌and ⁠had located it, without elaborating on the vessel's state.#report #reportaz #reportnewsaz #news #breakingnews #azerbaijan… pic.twitter.com/7ICj7BpZFZ

— Report News Agency (@reportaznews) March 4, 2026