The Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Arctic Metagaz sank in the central Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after a “sudden explosion” sparked a fire on board, Libya’s Ports and Maritime Transport Authority said on Wednesday.All 30 crew members were rescued in waters off Libya, they added.Libyan ports and maritime transport authorities said the Arctic Metagaz tanker “experienced a sudden explosion followed by a fire that ultimately led to its complete sinking” north of the Libyan coast.There were no immediate reports of crew casualties.According to local reports, the Russian Ministry of Transport later accused Ukraine of launching a naval drone attack on the oil tanker from the Libyan coast, claiming that the “Arctic Metaz” was hit by an unmanned surface ship, but Kyiv has not publicly commented on this accusation.
The Armed Forces of Malta’s Rescue Coordination Center, which helped coordinate the response, said the survivors of the Arctic Metagaz were found on a lifeboat in the Libyan search and rescue area and were reported to be safe.Tracking data showed the ship had earlier loaded liquefied natural gas at a Russian floating storage facility before sailing around Western Europe and into the Mediterranean, where its automatic identification system signal disappeared about 30 nautical miles off the northeastern coast of Malta before the fire broke out.The Maltese Armed Forces said they were alerted to the distress situation of the Arctic Metagaz outside Malta’s search and rescue area and initiated verification procedures to locate the ship and work with international partners before the survivors were discovered on a lifeboat in Libyan waters.The crew abandoned ship as the fire spread and were later transferred to another ship after broadcasting a rescue coordination message to nearby ships, according to Maltese and Libyan authorities.
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