MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - Russia's transport ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian naval drones of attacking a Russian liquefied natural gas carrier, the Arctic Metagaz, which caught fire in the
Russian LNG tanker sinks in Mediterranean, Moscow blames Ukrainian drones
Incident Overview and International Response
Details of the Sinking
MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - A Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday after what Moscow described as an attack by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya.
The Arctic Metagaz sank in waters between Libya and Malta after catching fire a day earlier, Libya's maritime rescue agency said in an advisory seen by Reuters.
"Information indicates that the tanker experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking," the agency said.
Ukrainian Involvement and Previous Attacks
Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in an attempt to deprive Russia's war machine of funding, but if confirmed, this would be its first attack on an LNG tanker.
The Security Service of Ukraine did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Russian Government Statements
Russia's transport ministry said the tanker, which had been carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones launched from the coast of Libya.
Crew Safety and International Assistance
It said the 30 crew members, all Russian nationals, were safe, and thanked Maltese rescue services.
Official Condemnation
"We qualify what happened as an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy, a gross violation of the fundamental norms of international maritime law," the ministry said.
Reactions from Libya and Egypt
Libyan Position
Libya's National Oil Corporation said it had no involvement with the tanker, adding that it was en route to Port Said, Egypt.
Egyptian Response
Egypt's petroleum ministry also denied any connection with the tanker, saying it was not bound for any of Egypt's ports.
"The tanker is not listed under any contracts to supply or receive LNG cargoes to Egypt," the ministry said.
Industry and Environmental Impact
Company Silence
The ship's Russia-based manager, LLC SMP Techmanagement, and Russian LNG producer Novatek have not commented on the incident.
Maritime Warnings and Pollution Risk
The Libyan agency warned vessels to avoid the site and asked them to report any pollution in the area which one industry source said would likely be limited to the fuel oil on board.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Filipp Lebedev, Vladimir Soldatkin and Jonathan Saul and Menna Alaa El-Din and Muhammad Al Gebaly; additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; editing by Jan Harvey and Jason Neely)
