Arctic Metagaz, the hypothesis of a controlled sinking now emerges: but the environmental risks are enormous

Cargo forced to make wide diversions to avoid the wreck and safety alerts bouncing from one port authority to another. There is a red alert in the Sicily Channel: the Arctic Metagaz, the 277-meter-long LNG carrier, is drifting without control and at the mercy of the waves and currents after being hit by drones likely from Ukraine and evacuated.

In the face of a danger deemed "imminent and severe", five coastal countries – Malta, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus, the so-called "Med 5" – have issued a joint appeal to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a "rapid, coordinated, and proportionate" response through the activation of the "EU Civil Protection Mechanism" to prevent an unprecedented incident.

Here’s how #ArcticMetagaz looks.

Exclusive from @Newsbook_com_mt that this morning, with a private plane departing from Malta, documented the wreck of the drifting Russian tanker.

https://t.co/aWkCzBGo77

pic.twitter.com/4Wnmhf1wdz

— Sergio Scandura (@scandura) March 15, 2026

The crisis began last March 3, when the unit was reportedly the subject of a maritime drone attack, attributed by Moscow to Ukrainian forces. A series of explosions triggered a violent fire in the central section of the hull, forcing the approximately 30 crew members to make a hasty evacuation onto passing ships.

Although Libyan authorities initially reported a total sinking, subsequent aerial reconnaissance confirmed that the wreck is still afloat. Driven by winter winds and currents, the vessel is drifting away from the waters southeast of Malta towards Sirte with its tracking systems disabled and has become a mobile hazard for the busy east-west trade crossroads.

The most insidious threat lies in the cryogenic tanks: on board there would be between 61,000 and 62,000 tons of LNG stored at -162 °C. While it does not cause the persistent “black tides” typical of oil spills, liquefied gas poses an extremely high operational risk. In contact with air and water, it evaporates, generating highly flammable clouds that, with the slightest spark, can trigger intense fires, “flash fires”, and explosions of exceptional power.

Adverse weather and sea conditions, such as sudden storms, could further strain the already compromised structure of the hull, increasing the likelihood of rapid failures. The situation also has a geopolitical dimension. The Arctic Metagaz is believed to be part of the “shadow fleet” of Russia, a network of ships that, through flag changes and shell companies, continues to transport hydrocarbons while evading sanctions from the EU, USA, and the UK. The cargo is linked to Russian projects under restrictions, such as “Arctic LNG 2”.

There are all difficult options on the table. Stabilizing and towing the LNG carrier for a ship-to-ship transfer is technically challenging for LNG and dependent on almost ideal safety conditions. Alternatively, a large navigation exclusion zone could be established while waiting for the danger to decrease; in the most extreme scenario of imminent failure, there remains the possibility of a controlled sinking, or “scuttling”, in deep waters, with heavy political and environmental implications.