Authorities have drawn up contingency plans in case the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz moves closer to Malta, as the vessel has drifted towards the islands and is 38 nautical miles southeast of Malta.
The ship, which was struck by a maritime drone last week, was left with a massive hole 150 nautical miles southeast of Malta. Just 23 hours before the attack, it was only 25 nautical miles away from Malta, on Hurd’s Bank.
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MaltaToday has learned that authorities are closely monitoring the situation, but so far have no jurisdiction to act as the ship is far beyond Maltese waters.Â
A source privy to the contingency plans said that if the ship continues to drift and ends up 12 nautical miles away from the islands, Malta will act to prevent the ship from moving closer.Â
At the moment, authorities are trying to contact the vessel’s managing company to see what the ship’s owners plan to do with the vessel.Â
Should the ship drift closer to the islands, authorities may choose to keep the vessel further away or tow it elsewhere.
Why was the Arctic Megataz attacked?
The Arctic Megataz is part of Russia’s infamous shadow fleet. The shadow fleet emerged after sweeping sanctions were imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In response, Russia began assembling a network of vessels capable of transporting its oil outside Western oversight.
The fleet uses ships with ownership and insurance structures beyond EU and G7 jurisdictions, allowing them to continue trading Russian oil with countries that have not joined the sanctions regime.
According to a Mediterranean maritime security expert who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of anonymity, ships belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ travel around Malta constantly.
Authorities have been increasing their monitoring capacity in recent years. Malta has invested in maritime screening systems to better identify high-risk vessels and to carry out proper due diligence on ships bunkering off the island.