A damaged tanker belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, carrying fuel, is drifting off the coast of Europe
This was reported by CNN.
The incident took place on 3 March. According to Russian officials, the vessel was ‘attacked by naval and aerial drones in neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea’. A fire broke out on the tanker and 30 crew members were evacuated.
The Russian Ministry of Transport accused Ukraine of attacking the oil tanker. However, there is no confirmation or official statement from Ukrainian officials regarding this.
Currently, according to Italian authorities, the damaged Russian vessel ‘Arctic Metagaz’ is carrying around 992 tonnes of diesel fuel and 66,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas.
The greatest danger is posed by the wind, which could ‘carry’ the tanker into the country’s territory. They stress that the vessel cannot safely dock in an Italian port, as it is a ‘time bomb filled with gas’.
As noted by CNN, the governments of Italy and Malta, which are located closest to the tanker, are currently considering its future. In particular, they are deciding whether it is safe to tow the vessel to port or whether it would be more appropriate to sink it at sea.
Meanwhile, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the environmental risk is very high and potentially irreversible: marine life in the Mediterranean Sea could be affected by the tanker.
“A potential spill could cause forest fires, cryogenic clouds that are lethal to marine life, and significant pollution of the water and atmosphere,” the organisation reported.
