// Sternenko
On the evening of March 3, a fire broke out and the Russian gas carrier "Arctic Metagas," which is under sanctions, sank near the territorial waters of Malta, as reported by the BBC.
According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, the tanker was attacked by unmanned boats from Ukraine, which were based on the coast of Libya. The vessel was en route from the port of Murmansk with a cargo that was documented in accordance with international regulations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin characterized the incident as a "terrorist act," implying that such attacks destabilize global energy markets and negatively impact Europe, which supports Ukraine.
“The European Union provides Ukraine with endless assistance, and in response, Kyiv creates new problems for Europe,” noted Putin.
The Security Service of Ukraine, responding to a BBC inquiry, declined to comment on the situation with the tanker.
According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, all 30 crew members, who are citizens of Russia, were successfully rescued.
Earlier, a Reuters source claimed that the tanker may have been attacked by a Ukrainian maritime drone. If confirmed, this would be the first case of an attack on a Russian LNG tanker.
The vessel was under sanctions from the US and the UK, and its last known location was recorded on Monday when it was off the coast of Malta, according to Marine Traffic data.
Videos posted on social media show that a large fire broke out on board. The video was also published by Insider.
Photos of the damaged tanker were published by Ukrainian activist Sergey Sternenko, who stated that the vessel sustained serious damage in the engine room and is beyond repair. This information was later reposted by Andrey Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, on his Telegram channel.
The Coordination Center for Rescue Operations of the Armed Forces of Malta reported that a distress signal was received from the tanker, and its location was established.
According to Maltese military sources, the rescue operation was successfully conducted, and survivors were found on a lifeboat within the search and rescue zone of Libya.
The Libyan Port Authority reported that the vessel sank approximately 130 nautical miles (240 km) from the port of Sirte after a series of "sudden explosions," followed by a powerful fire that led to its sinking.
According to the Libyan administration, the tanker was carrying about 62,000 metric tons of LNG and was headed to the Egyptian port of Port Said.
The Libyan National Oil Corporation noted that the vessel was merely passing through the central part of the Mediterranean Sea and "has no relation to it."
The Times of Malta reports that the tanker left Murmansk on February 24 after loading at a floating storage facility and was likely headed to Suez. However, in the last 300 kilometers of its route, the tanker turned off its automatic identification system.
The Russian company "SMP Techmanagement," which manages the tanker, as well as the LNG producer "Novatek," have not yet provided comments on this incident.
