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Libyan authorities have released a video and photos showing a tow rope attached to the damaged Russian gas carrier Arctic Metagaz, which has been adrift for the past three weeks in the Mediterranean Sea following a suspected attack by a maritime drone.
The vessel, which caught on fire after a reported series of explosions on 3 March, has been associated with Russia’s “shadow fleet” of cargo ships carrying fossil fuels in violation of international sanctions imposed over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The Libyan Coast Guard said the tanker carrying liquefied natural gas was being towed to a safe zone off the city of Zuwara on Libya’s west coast.
Libya’s National Oil Corporation said over the weekend it was working with Italian energy company Eni to bring the tanker safely to shore and prevent an environmental disaster.
Russian authorities accused Ukraine of striking the tanker with maritime drones near Maltese waters. Kyiv has not commented on Moscow’s allegations.
The possibility of a technical malfunction has not been excluded at this time.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Russian tanker was carried by winds and currents to the Libyan coast.
The environmental organisation warned of serious environmental risks for one of the most vulnerable and biodiversity-rich areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
All crew members were safely evacuated from the ship at the time of the incident, authorities said.