Sanctioned Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz on fire in Mediterranean after ‘suspected drone attack’
The Libyan Maritime Authority said there were "sudden explosions, followed by a massive fire" on the Arctic Metagaz on Tuesday off the coast of the Libyan city of Sirte
A sanctioned Russian tanker has exploded off the coast of Libya following a suspected drone attack.
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Libya said the Russian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied natural gas exploded and erupted in flames before sinking in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast.
The Libyan Maritime Authority said there was a "sudden explosions, followed by a massive fire" on the Arctic Metagaz on Tuesday off the coast of the Libyan city of Sirte.
"The wreckage occurred in the maritime area between Libya and Malta, within the Libyan search-and-rescue zone ... approximately 130 nautical miles (240 kilometres) north of the port of Sirte," the authority added.
It said on Wednesday that no casualties have been reported.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.
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The tanker was under Western sanctions, suspected to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, trying to bypass sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Russia's Transport Ministry has accused Ukraine of attacking the tanker using naval drones. It said the vessel was en route from the northern Russian port of Murmansk.
The Armed Forces of Malta said in a statement on Tuesday: "Earlier this afternoon, the Rescue Coordination Centre Malta of the Armed Forces of Malta was informed of a distress situation outside its Search and Rescue area involving the merchant vessel MT ARCTIC METAGAZ while transiting the central Mediterranean.
"Upon receipt of the alert, RCC Malta initiated verification procedures and efforts to establish the exact position of the vessel. The vessel was located, and coordination actions were undertaken in line with international search and rescue obligations, including broadcasts to shipping and liaison with relevant international authorities.
"Survivors were subsequently located within the Libyan SRR in a lifeboat during the search effort. All crew were reported safely onboard the lifeboat."