Tanker attacked in Mediterranean was carrying sanctioned Arctic gas
Only days after the Arctic Metagaz loaded liquefied natural gas in the Ura Bay, Kola Peninsula, the carrier was hit by a drone outside Malta.
The 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz was attacked in the early hours of March 3 while sailing east of Malta.
The 23-year-old vessel was originally owned and operated by the Norwegian company Bergesen under the name Berge Everett.
Prior to the incident, the tanker had loaded LNG in Ura Bay on the Kola Peninsula, where it docked alongside the 400-metre floating storage unit Saam FSU. Satellite imagery from 18 February shows the two vessels moored side by side during transhipment operations.
Ship-tracking data indicate that the tanker zigzagged off the Kola Peninsula before proceeding to the terminal. For a period, it also drifted in a bay off the Rybachy Peninsula, just a few kilometres from the Norwegian border.
The drone strike caused a powerful explosion. Video footage circulating on social media shows the vessel engulfed in flames.
According to the Greek newspaper Naftemporiki, the tanker had deactivated its automatic identification system (AIS) during the final 300 kilometres of its voyage. The Armed Forces of Malta deployed an aircraft to the scene, while the Times of Malta reported that the 30 crew members were evacuated. Russian state-run broadcaster TV Zvezda said all crew were Russian nationals.
Media reports suggest the drone may have been launched from Libya.
The Arctic Metagaz is a frequent presence in Russian Arctic waters. The tanker is owned by the Liberia-registered Lathyrus Shipping Company and is considered part of the so-called “shadow fleet” used to transport sanctioned Russian oil and gas.
According to the shipping database Equasis, the vessel has changed its name four times, its flag state seven times and its ship manager eight times over the past four years. It is currently sailing under a Russian flag.
The tanker is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and several other countries. Its owner is also on the US sanctions list.
Like several other carriers, the Arctic Metagaz has been used by Russian gas producer Novatek to transport LNG from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. It was among the first vessels to conduct transhipment operations at the Saam FSU in Ura Bay. Both the Arctic LNG 2 project and the floating storage unit are under US sanctions.
In late summer 2025, the tanker transported LNG from the project along the Northern Sea Route. Not designed for ice navigation, the vessel became trapped in sea ice for more than a week in remote Arctic waters and required assistance from icebreakers to free itself.
