Malta and four other Mediterranean countries have called for swift and coordinated EU action to deal with the abandoned Russian tanker currently drifting in the Mediterranean.
They described the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz as ‘an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster’ in the heart of the Union’s maritime space.
The tanker suffered explosions a week ago after having allegedly been attacked by Ukrainian drones. It was subsequently abandoned and has been drifting between Malta, Libya and Lampedusa. It is carrying significant volumes of gas and oil.
In their letters, the prime ministers of Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Malta – the MED 5 countries – said the vessel presents the Union with a dual challenge: the management of an ongoing maritime safety and environmental risk, alongside the operational constraints arising from the interaction between the EU sanctions regime, which provides for exemptions in situations involving maritime safety and environmental protection, and restrictive measures imposed by other jurisdictions that may not provide for comparable exemptions.
“We are closely monitoring the increasing frequency of attacks on vessels in both the Mediterranean and Black Sea, regardless of their operational status or their position under EU restrictive measures. Irrespective of the specific origin of these events, such incidents pose immediate risks to maritime safety and the marine environment. Investigation and accountability in accordance with international law are essential,” the heads of government said.
“Given the scale and immediacy of the risk, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) will be key in ensuring a coordinated Union-level response as an essential framework for mobilising collective EU capabilities in support of maritime safety and environmental protection.”
They urged the European Commission to facilitate the mobilisation and coordination of Member States and EU-level mechanisms, including the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for more efficient, better coordinated and faster response.
Such engagement would provide specialised support, including enhanced maritime surveillance, pollution monitoring capabilities, and technical expertise aimed at preventing or mitigating environmental damage.
The prime ministers also pointed out that the current situation raises serious concerns from a sanctions’ enforcement perspective.
The Arctic Metagaz is considered as being part of the Russian “shadow fleet” and is under EU sanctions.
This case, they said, illustrated how such vessels, through the circumvention of EU restrictive measures and international standards, posed serious risks to maritime safety, environmental protection, and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean and beyond.
“Allowing such practices to persist not only exposes the Union to serious ecological harm, but also risks undermining the integrity, effectiveness and deterrent value of the EU sanctions regime, underscoring the need for determined and coordinated action at Union level.”
They therefore called for a swift, coordinated, and visible Union-level European response as a matter of utmost priority and said the issue will also be raised in a heads of government meeting later this week.