The Arctic Metagaz is just 12 miles away from an oil platform: now Europe fears an unprecedented environmental disaster.

An ecological bomb adrift in the heart of the Mediterranean. Since yesterday, the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, gutted and unmanned, is located just 12 nautical miles east of the Bouri oil platform.

This distance is so minimal that it has triggered alarms from coastal authorities: a collision with the offshore infrastructure could result in an environmental disaster with incalculable consequences.

The odyssey of this giant began at dawn on March 3, when the vessel was reportedly hit by a naval drone attack in international waters between Malta and Libya. Since then, the hull — already marked by a gash of several meters and with burnt paint at the stern — has been adrift without a crew in the Sicilian Channel.

Complicating the situation is the very nature of the ship: the Arctic Metagaz belongs to the controversial “shadow fleet” of Russia, a network subject to sanctions from the EU, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The absence of an identifiable shipowner and an operational insurance coverage effectively blocks the rapid dispatch of tugboats and commercial rescue teams.

The environmental risk is extreme and manifests itself on two fronts. The ship, which set sail from Murmansk, carries an estimated cargo of over 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), along with significant reserves of marine fuel (diesel) for propulsion.

Technicians and maritime authorities are primarily concerned about the release of cryogenic LNG: upon contact with water, it would instantly evaporate, generating a highly flammable cold cloud, with the potential for explosion or “flash fire” — a lethal danger given the proximity to the Bouri platform. Secondly, a potential structural failure of the hull would cause diesel spillage into the sea: unlike gas, which dissipates, the fuel forms toxic and deadly surface films for plankton, fish fauna, and seabirds, with the risk of reaching and compromising coastal habitats in the short and medium term under the action of currents.

The gravity of the threat has prompted the heads of government of Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus to send an urgent letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In the appeal, the ship is described as an «imminent and serious risk» of ecological catastrophe, and immediate activation of the EU civil protection mechanisms is requested to mobilize funds and resources.

Meanwhile, Italy, in coordination with Malta and the surveillance assets of the European operation IRINI, is monitoring the situation from the sky and via satellite. However, the "window of opportunity" offered by the weather is narrowing by the hour: a timely intervention is needed to secure the wreck before the rough sea breaks its metal parts or pushes it against the platform.