On March 15, images from a helicopter showed that the 277m long liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) ship was completely blackened with 2 large holes on the hull.
The Arctic Metagaz ship is unmanned and drifting freely since a series of explosions off the coast of Libya in early March. By noon on March 15, the ship was only about 50 nautical miles southwest of the island nation of Malta, putting neighboring countries on red alert.
Russia accused Ukraine of using drones to attack this ship. Arctic Metagaz is believed to be part of a "dark fleet", specializing in transporting oil and gas to evade sanctions from the West. The discovery of the ship drifting in dangerous condition has put the Maltese and Italian authorities on red alert, due to concerns about a large-scale environmental disaster in the region.
Italian authorities confirmed that the ship was carrying a large amount of liquefied petroleum gas and diesel oil. According to data discovered by the Libyan port authority, the ship contained about 62,000 tons of LNG and 900 tons of diesel oil. The World Wide Fund for Nature warned that if this fuel leaks, the fragile marine ecosystem in the Mediterranean will suffer terrible devastation and long-term pollution.
A potential oil spill could cause a fire and deadly cold air clouds for marine life," a WWF Italy representative emphasized.
Immediately after discovering the exact location of the ship, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened an emergency meeting with defense and energy ministers to find response plans. Italy affirmed that it is closely coordinating with Malta to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening.
Currently, rescue experts and specialized ships have been mobilized to approach the scene immediately after the ship's location was discovered. The appearance of this "ghost ship" in the Mediterranean is not only a technical challenge for salvage but also a thorny international legal problem for blacklisted transport ships. All efforts are being focused on ensuring that the wreck does not cause a second explosion or chemical leakage when approaching Malta's territorial waters.
