US EditionDamaged Russian LNG Tanker Breaks Loose From Tow Off Libya
Libyan authorities said the tanker broke loose in 40-knot winds, prompting warnings for ships to stay 10 nautical miles away.
- On Thursday, Libya's Ports and Maritime Transport Authority reported the towing operation for the damaged Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz failed, leaving the vessel adrift and 'out of control' in the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Arctic Metagaz has remained adrift since March after experiencing 'sudden explosions, followed by a massive fire' about 150 miles off Sirte, Libya, in a suspected sea drone attack.
- Preventing the operation were 'wind gusts reaching up to 40 or 50 knots and waves five meters high,' while the tanker carries around 700 tons of fuel and a significant amount of LNG.
- The Authority urged all vessels to maintain a distance of at least 10 nautical miles from the drifting tanker, citing it as an 'imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster.'
- Italy, France, Spain, and six other EU members warned the European Commission in March that the vessel, part of Russia's 'so-called' shadow fleet, poses severe threats to the Mediterranean environment.
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Russian tanker ’out of control’ after failed towing: Libya authorities
Libyan authorities on Thursday said efforts to tow a Russian gas tanker, abandoned after a series of explosions, had failed due to bad weather and that the vessel remained adrift in the Mediterranean. The Arctic Metagaz was abandoned in the Mediterranean after it was hit by a series of explosions on March 3 while it was ferrying a consignment of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Egypt. Russia accused Ukraine of trying to blow it up, tho…
The Libyan authorities announced on Thursday the failure of the towing operation of the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, drifting in the Mediterranean since it was hit by "explosions" in early March and Libya wants to move away from its coasts.
According to official Libyan data, a Russian tanker damaged in early March due to a suspected attack in the Mediterranean Sea is "out of control". A towing attempt failed due to bad weather, the Libyan port and maritime authority announced on Thursday. At wind speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour and up to five meters high waves, the towing operation could not be carried out. Other ships should stay away from the tanker, the authority further …
Libyan authorities confirm impossibility of towing Russian ship due to adverse weather conditions, leaving LNG tanker out of control at sea Authorities
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