Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores
Italian and Maltese authorities are working together closely monitoring the hulk of the Russian-flagged gas carrier Arctic Metagaz. Both countries remain on alert as the vessel has drifted back and forth, approaching each country, and then, with the tides and winds, has been driven further out to sea.
The vessel has been in this precarious situation for days after it exploded on March 4 at a position approximately 150 miles south of Malta. At the time, it was in the Libyan zone, with Libya’s authorities overseeing the rescue of the crew and landing them in Tripoli. Since then, Libya has relinquished authority as the wreck was driven to the north.
The Italian government convened a special session on Friday, March 13, attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other senior officials. They discussed the situations and reviewed the latest data from the Italian Navy. Reports said that the European naval air operation EuNavfor Med IRINI also overflew the wreck to assess its position and condition.
Pictures confirmed that the 277-meter (909-foot) gas carrier is severely damaged. In addition to the large section of the port hull that is missing, there is a second hole on the starboard side. The aft section of the vessel, including the accommodation block and bridge, is all burnt.
While the vessel is down at the stern and appears to be listing, the belief is that the double hull and safety features in the design of an LNG carrier have kept the vessel afloat. The ship appears to have taken on a significant amount of water, but the separations in the hull prevented it from overwhelming the ship.
The latest estimates are that as much as 60,000 tons of LNG remain in the two forward tanks, undamaged in the explosion and fire. The ship had a total capacity of approximately 140,000 tons of LNG. In addition, the authorities are reporting that there are 900 tons of heavy oil and diesel fuel aboard the vessel.
Earlier in the week, the hulk had drifted to a position within about 20 nautical miles of Malta. The authorities issued an alert and established a 5-mile exclusion zone. They said they were prepared with a plan to handle the wreck if it continued to approach Malta.
Winds and currents next drove the wreck to within about 25 to 30 nautical miles from Linosa, an island in the Italian Pelagie Islands. The Italian Navy reportedly sent a vessel and was positioning tugs and a pollution control vessel.
The hulk, however, has again drifted toward Malta, with the last reports placing it about 60 nautical miles offshore. The Maltese authorities had previously said they were contacting the vessel's agents to determine what action they were planning.
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The Italian government, in a statement after its meeting today, said the vessel is now in the Maltese SAR zone. The Italian government assured the government in Malta that it would share monitoring information and confirmed its readiness to support Malta. It said the actions would depend on the decision of the Maltese authorities while the vessel remains in its current position.
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