Italy, France and seven other states have appealed to the European Commission to take urgent measures regarding the Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz

Eight European Union countries, including Italy and France, have appealed to the European Commission over the Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, which is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea and could pose a threat to the environment.

The letter, cited by Reuters, says the vessel is between Malta and Italy, and its unstable situation and dangerous cargo could lead to a serious environmental disaster in the region.

The EU countries stressed that the tanker is part of a Russian “shadow fleet” created to circumvent sanctions imposed after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2022. They called for urgent action, including monitoring and the provision of technical assistance.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the tanker is indeed drifting, while further involvement of Moscow in resolving the situation will depend on “specific circumstances.” Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova clarified that there was no crew on board, and the tanker contained 700 tons of various fuels and large amounts of natural gas. She stressed that the responsibility for the situation lies with the neighboring countries.

Earlier, Russia stated that the tanker, which was transporting liquefied natural gas from the artificial port of Murmansk, was allegedly attacked by Ukrainian drones from the coast of Libya and partially sank between Libya and Malta. Kyiv denied its involvement in this incident.

It is worth noting that recently explosions occurred on two oil tankers from the Russian “shadow fleet” off the coast of Turkey.