Related videos:
A Russian liquefied natural gas vessel caught fire this Tuesday in the Mediterranean Sea, according to maritime security sources quoted by the agency Reuters.
The vessel, identified as Arctic Metagaz and flying the Russian flag, is currently under sanctions from the United States and the United Kingdom. According to data from the MarineTraffic platform, the ship reported its position on Monday while sailing off the coast of Malta.
The Armed Forces of Malta reported that they received a distress signal from the vessel and managed to locate it, although they did not provide details regarding the extent of the fire or the damage sustained by the ship.
Subsequently, search teams located the crew in a lifeboat within the Libyan search and rescue region. According to the official statement, all members were reported safe.
One of the sources cited by Reuters indicated that the ship may have been attacked by a naval drone and that Ukraine would be suspected of the operation, although no evidence was presented to support that version.
The ship's manager, the Russian company LLC SMP Techmanagement, the gas producer Novatek, and the Ministry of Transport of Russia did not immediately respond to requests for comments, according to the agency.
Filed under: