A Russian gas carrier was attacked by a naval drone off the coast of Malta. The attack was carried out by a Ukrainian naval drone reportedly launched from Libya.
“On March 3, a Russian vessel—the gas carrier Arctic Metagaz—was attacked in close proximity to the territorial waters of the European Union member state of Malta. The tanker was carrying cargo documented in full compliance with all international regulations and was en route from the port of Murmansk. The attack on it was carried out from the coast of Libya by Ukrainian unmanned boats,” said a statement issued by the Russian Transport Ministry.
“We qualify what happened as an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy, a gross violation of the fundamental norms of international maritime law. Such criminal actions, carried out with the connivance of the authorities of European Union member states, must not remain without assessment by the international community,” the Transport Ministry said.
The crew managed to flee the ship via a lifeboat after which they were rescued by Maltese authorities.
Western media reports claim that the ship was under sanctions as part of the so-called “shadow fleet of Russia.” It is not the first Russian ship to have been attacked. Last December, the Omani-flagged tanker Qendil, also described as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, was reportedly struck by an explosive device between Crete and Malta, in what analysts said marked the first confirmed Ukrainian-linked attack on a vessel in the region.
