On Tuesday, the tanker Arctic Metagaz, operating under the Russian flag, caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea. The Maltese armed forces confirmed that they located the crew alive in a lifeboat during the search and rescue operation in the Libyan search and rescue zone. The vessel is listed under US and UK sanctions, and its last transmitted location was near the coast of Malta prior to the incident, as per data from the MarineTraffic system.

Reports suggest, although without evidence, that the ship may have been attacked by a maritime drone, with suspicions pointing towards Ukraine being behind the operation. While the Maltese authorities reported receiving a distress signal from the vessel and subsequently locating it, they did not reveal the condition of the ship post-fire. The situation raises questions about maritime security in the region, especially with the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Western nations.

The ship's management, LLC SMP Techmanagement based in Russia, along with the Russian LNG producer Novatek and the Russian Ministry of Transport, have yet to respond to inquiries regarding the incident, leaving the full context surrounding the blaze unclear. The event underscores the potential risks faced by vessels operating under sanctions, particularly those linked to Russia amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.