The Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority said on Wednesday that the Russian liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagas sank in the central Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Malta after a “sudden explosion” sparked a massive fire on board.They added that all 30 crew members were rescued in nearby Libyan waters.The Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority said that the tanker “Arctic Metagas” “was subjected to sudden explosions followed by a massive fire that ultimately led to its complete sinking,” which ultimately led to the tanker sinking completely north of the Libyan coast.There were no immediate reports of casualties among the crew.According to local reports, the Russian Ministry of Transport later accused Ukraine of launching a naval drone attack on the tanker from the Libyan coast, claiming that the Arctic vessel Mitagaz had been bombed by unmanned surface vessels, but Kiev has not publicly commented on the claim.
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The Armed Forces of Malta, whose Rescue Coordination Center helped coordinate the response, said survivors from the Arctic Metagas were found in a lifeboat within the Libyan search and rescue area and all were reported safe.Tracking data showed the ship had earlier loaded LNG into a Russian floating storage unit before sailing around Western Europe to the Mediterranean, where its Automatic Identification System signal disappeared about 30 nautical miles off the north-eastern coast of Malta before the fire.
The Armed Forces of Malta said it was alerted to a distress situation involving the Arctic Metagaz outside the Malta search and rescue area, and began verification procedures, locating the vessel and working with international partners before survivors were later found in a lifeboat in Libyan waters.According to Maltese and Libyan authorities, the crew abandoned the ship as the fire spread, and were subsequently transferred to another ship after broadcasting rescue coordination messages to nearby ships.
