Libyan maritime authorities have successfully initiated a complex towing operation for the Russian liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagaz, which had been adrift in the Mediterranean Sea for approximately three weeks following a suspected naval drone assault. The damaged vessel, part of Russia’s sanctions-evading ‘shadow fleet’ transporting fossil fuels amid the Ukraine conflict, is now being guided to a secure zone near Zuwara on Libya’s western coastline.
Official video documentation released Tuesday depicts a robust tugboat carefully maneuvering the倾斜 tanker using heavy-duty cables, with visible fire damage blackening portions of its hull. The rescue operation follows weekend announcements of collaboration between Libya’s National Oil Corporation and Italian energy giant Eni to prevent a potential environmental disaster.
Russian officials confirmed the Arctic Metagaz sustained severe damage from Ukrainian naval drone strikes near Maltese waters in early October, resulting in sudden explosions and substantial fires approximately 240 kilometers offshore from Sirte, Libya. All 30 crew members were safely evacuated despite initial erroneous reports of the vessel’s sinking by Libyan maritime authorities.
The World Wide Fund for Nature had previously expressed grave concerns about the tanker’s instability and potential ecological threats to one of the Mediterranean’s most biologically diverse marine regions. Libyan authorities have implemented comprehensive protective measures to minimize environmental risks and prevent hydrocarbon leakage during the delicate recovery process.