On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, Reuters was the first to report that a fire had broken out east of Malta aboard the Russian LNG tanker MT Arctic Metagaz (IMO 9243148, MMSI 273262840), part of the sanctioned “shadow fleet,” and that its crew of more than 20 had been evacuated. A sea-drone attack, presumably Ukrainian, is suspected, but there is no evidence to support this.
Photo taken by a Maltese Beechcraft King Air B200 patrol aircraft / Photo: Armed Forces of Malta
Later, the press office of the Armed Forces of Malta released a press statement:
March 3rd, 2026
Earlier this afternoon, the Rescue Coordination Centre Malta of the Armed Forces of Malta was informed of a distress situation outside its Search and Rescue area involving the merchant vessel MT ARCTIC METAGAZ while transiting the central Mediterranean.
Upon receipt of the alert, RCC Malta initiated verification procedures and efforts to establish the exact position of the vessel. The vessel was located, and coordination actions were undertaken in line with international search and rescue obligations, including broadcasts to shipping and liaison with relevant international authorities.
Survivors were subsequently located within the Libyan SRR in a lifeboat during the search effort. All crew were reported safely onboard the lifeboat.
The gas carrier, officially sailing under the Russian flag, last reported its position via the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Monday, March 2, while traveling along Malta’s coast. The vessel left an anchorage in Port Said, Egypt, on January 30 and did not report a destination. The fire was reported on March 3 at 4:00 a.m. local time.
As Reuters reported, the ship may have been attacked by sea drones, and one source said Ukraine was suspected of carrying out the operation, though no evidence was provided.
The operator of the gas carrier is the Russian company SMP Techmanagement of St. Petersburg, which transports liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the Russian private company Novatek.
MT Arctic Metagaz was built in 2003. It is 277 m long and 43.44 m wide, with a gross tonnage of 93,844 and a deadweight of 77,551 DWT. Until October 2024 it was named Metagas Everest (Russian flag). Until May 2024 it sailed under the Kazakh flag as Everest Energy, and earlier, from June 2014, under the flags of Malaysia and Singapore as Metagas Everest and BW Everett. Before that, from June 2003, it sailed under the Norwegian flag as Berge Everett, BW Suez Everett, and BW GDF Suez Everett.
According to information on the “shadow fleet” collected by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (HUR MO) on the War & Sanctions information portal, the vessel has been transporting cargoes from the Arctic LNG-2 terminal in violation of international law, using so-called spoofing to conceal its true location.
On August 25, 2024, the ship moored near Line 1 of the Arctic LNG-2 terminal, and at 10:27 p.m. the tanker stopped transmitting a spoofed AIS signal. Arctic LNG-2 is Novatek’s second large-capacity LNG project after Yamal LNG. It involves the extraction and liquefaction of natural gas on the Gydan Peninsula and is being developed by the sanctioned company Novatek.
In November 2023 and February 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance to the Russian government. On August 23, 2024, the United States sanctioned seven LNG tankers as part of restrictions targeting entities supporting the development of Arctic LNG-2 and other future energy projects.
On February 24 and March 4, 2025, the European Union and Switzerland respectively sanctioned the tanker for transporting or supporting activities and policies aimed at exploiting, developing, or expanding Russia’s energy sector, including energy infrastructure (the sanctions entered into force on February 25, 2025). Further sanctions were imposed by Canada (February 21, 2025) and New Zealand (June 19, 2025). On October 14, 2025, the gas carrier delivered a cargo from the sanctioned Arctic LNG-2 project to a regasification terminal in Beihai, China.
Russian military pilot Ilya Tumanov, known by the alias Fighterbomber, reported on Telegram that the gas carrier had been hit by four aerial drones and two sea drones, but this has not been officially confirmed. There is a very high risk that the vessel could sink due to extensive hull damage.
BREAKING: A sanctioned Russian LNG tanker, Arctic Metagaz, part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, is on fire off the coast of Malta and Libya. The vessel was attacked by unknown naval drones. pic.twitter.com/mCtFZ9Hrvt
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 3, 2026
#BREAKING 🇷🇺 A The Russian gas tanker Arctic Metagaz was reportedly attacked in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya. pic.twitter.com/XsTvhlFeuF
— Prime (@nucleusprime) March 4, 2026
UPDATE
Libya’s LANA news agency (Libya News Agency), citing the Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority, reported that the Russian gas carrier had sunk. Passing vessels were urged to avoid approaching the sinking site due to the possible presence of floating debris from the wreck, whose size and depth have not yet been precisely determined, as well as concerns about leaks of flammable or polluting materials from the ship’s tanks, which could pose a threat to maritime navigation and the marine environment in the region.