An Italian official has warned of a “major environmental disaster” due to a damaged, sanctioned Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, left unmanned and drifting aimlessly.
In a joint letter to the European Commission, Italian Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano described the Russian tanker, the Arctic Metagas, as an “environmental time bomb,” calling for urgent action.
The tanker, part of a clandestine fleet transporting Russian oil and gas , was severely damaged in a suspected drone attack near Malta earlier this month.
The Russian Transport Ministry has said the attack was carried out by Ukrainian naval drones, adding that the vessel, which was loaded with LNG, departed from the northern Russian port of Murmansk in February.
Speaking to Italian radio station Radio 24, Mantovano Mantovano said the risks posed by the gas tanker were “enormous,” warning that it could “explode at any moment.”
Reports indicate the vessel is carrying “significant” quantities of liquefied natural gas. A Rome official told the BBC that it is also carrying 450 tons of fuel and 250 tons of diesel.
On Tuesday afternoon, the tanker was approximately 45 nautical miles (83 kilometers) from Italian territorial waters and 25 nautical miles from Libya’s search and rescue zone.
In a joint letter to the European Commission, Italian Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano described the Russian tanker, the Arctic Metagas, as an “environmental time bomb,” calling for urgent action.
The tanker, part of a clandestine fleet transporting Russian oil and gas , was severely damaged in a suspected drone attack near Malta earlier this month.
The Russian Transport Ministry has said the attack was carried out by Ukrainian naval drones, adding that the vessel, which was loaded with LNG, departed from the northern Russian port of Murmansk in February.
Speaking to Italian radio station Radio 24, Mantovano Mantovano said the risks posed by the gas tanker were “enormous,” warning that it could “explode at any moment.”
Reports indicate the vessel is carrying “significant” quantities of liquefied natural gas. A Rome official told the BBC that it is also carrying 450 tons of fuel and 250 tons of diesel.
On Tuesday afternoon, the tanker was approximately 45 nautical miles (83 kilometers) from Italian territorial waters and 25 nautical miles from Libya’s search and rescue zone.
