Tanker of Russian «shadow fleet» attacked off Libya

Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz attacked off the coast of Libya: Moscow accuses Ukraine

Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz was attacked in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. This was stated by the Russian Ministry of Transport, accusing Ukraine of the attack.

According to the Russian side, the attack on the vessel was allegedly carried out with the help of unmanned sea boats, which Moscow calls Ukrainian.

What is known about the attack

It is reported that the tanker Arctic Metagaz was transporting liquefied natural gas. The released footage shows significant damage to the vessel's hull, as well as a leak of oil products into the sea.

The details of the incident, including the extent of the damage and possible victims, are currently being clarified.

Sanctioned vessel

According to publicly available data, the tanker Arctic Metagaz is under sanctions USA and the UK. The vessel is part of the so-called «Russia's »shadow fleet", which is used to circumvent international restrictions on energy exports.

Context.

Since the introduction of Western sanctions, Russia has been actively using a network of tankers operating outside of standard control mechanisms to transport oil and gas.

Recently, incidents involving such vessels have been reported in various regions of the world, increasing tensions around Russian energy logistics.