Sanctioned Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz caught fire early Tuesday while transiting southeast of Malta. The tanker was sailing eastbound in the Mediterranean when the incident occurred.
Greek media reported that the vessel was struck by a massive explosion at around 4:00 a.m. local time. Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show a large LNG carrier engulfed in flames following explosions, although the authenticity of the material has not been independently verified.
Maritime security sources confirmed that the vessel was on fire, but details surrounding the cause of the incident remain unclear. There has been no official confirmation whether the blaze resulted from an onboard technical failure, an explosion, or external interference. The ship’s AIS signal was reportedly lost roughly 30 nautical miles northeast of Malta prior to the emergency.
Malta’s authorities later confirmed that the crew had abandoned the vessel. In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta said its Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted to a distress situation outside Malta’s Search and Rescue Region and initiated coordination procedures in line with international obligations. Survivors were subsequently located in a lifeboat within the Libyan Search and Rescue Region, with all crew reported safe.
Flight tracking data indicated that a Turkish Navy maritime patrol aircraft was circling near the vessel’s last known position, suggesting that regional authorities were actively monitoring developments.
The MV Arctic Metagaz is considered part of a fleet transporting sanctioned Russian LNG cargoes from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 facility to China’s Beihai Terminal amid tightening Western restrictions on Moscow’s energy exports. The vessel has been under U.S. and UK sanctions since 2024.
According to tracking data, MV Arctic Metagaz had recently loaded LNG at the Saam floating storage unit in Russia before departing Murmansk on February 24 and sailing around Western Europe into the Mediterranean, likely en route toward the Suez Canal.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
