Russian oil tanker adrift, summit at Palazzo Chigi: 'We share monitoring with Malta'

Italia is monitoring the Russian tanker 'Arctic Metagaz', which has been drifting in the Mediterranean for days. Loaded with 900 tonnes of diesel and two tanks of liquefied gas, it is currently located about 26 miles from Linosa in the Sicilian Channel. An aerial view dated 3 March 2026, reposted on X by OSINTdefender, shows a large hole in the burnt hull of the ship, which reportedly caught fire after being targeted by an unidentified naval drone near Malta. The ship is currently inside the Maltese SAR zone, not far from the Italian coast.

According to the Russian authorities, the ship - which left the port of Murmansk with a cargo of LNG - was hit by Ukrainian naval drones on 3 March while it was close to Malta's territorial waters. The attack reportedly caused a fire on board, forcing the crew to abandon ship: all 30 members were rescued. Moscow claims that the operation started from the Libyan coast and called the incident a terrorist act and a violation of international maritime law.

 "Given that the vessel is currently inside the Maltese SAR zone, and that the Maltese authorities have established a minimum safety distance of 5 nautical miles, the Italia Government has assured the Valletta Government that it shares the monitoring initiated from the very first moment," reads a note from Palazzo Chigi after the summit, chaired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on the "situation of the LNG ship Arctic Metagaz, flying the Russian flag, which is carrying substantial quantities of gas, heavy oil and diesel and has been adrift, unmanned, in the Mediterranean Sea for several days". "Italia," it is explained, "has also confirmed its willingness to carry out support activities, pending the determinations of the Maltese authorities, with which it remains in constant contact".