It seems that Ukraine is hitting the shadowy Russian fleet with more than just sanctions. The Russian-flagged tanker Arctic Metagaz, which was carrying liquefied natural gas, caught fire off the coast of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.
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This is reported by Reuters, citing sources.
The Russian shadow fleet vessel is under US and UK sanctions for transporting LNG from Arctic Russian terminals to China. Its location was last recorded near Malta on March 2.
The Arctic Metagaz is one of the key vessels used by Russia to transport Arctic gas. Its operations have long been under close scrutiny due to sanctions.
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One source, without providing evidence, told Reuters that the ship may have been attacked by a naval drone, and that the attack was allegedly carried out by Ukraine.
Reuters has reached out to the Security Service of Ukraine for comment, but there has been no official response yet.
The Armed Forces of Malta confirmed receiving a report of the fire and arriving at the vessel. The crew were found safe alongside the tanker in a lifeboat in the search and rescue area of Libya.
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“We received a fire alarm and went to help. The crew was able to be evacuated, everyone is alive and safe,” the Armed Forces of Malta reported.
It was previously reported that a fire broke out at a large oil terminal in Novorossiysk as a result of an attack by Ukrainian drones.
Photo — screenshot
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