The damaged Arctic Metagaz tanker is now located just 35 nautical miles off Malta’s southeastern coast and drifting in the island’s direction, Times of Malta can confirm.
The Russian shadow fleet gas tanker was damaged in an apparent attack early last week, with authorities alerted to the vessel on Tuesday afternoon.
At the time, the 277-metre-long tanker was some 150 nautical miles off Malta’s shores. Since then, prevailing winds have carried the vessel closer to Malta.
By Thursday, the tanker had drifted to 130 nautical miles from Malta. It continued on the same trajectory over the weekend, with multiple sources confirming that it is now 35 nautical miles, or roughly 65 kilometres, from Malta’s coast.
This brings it to just 11 nautical miles of Malta’s so-called contiguous zone – this is where Malta can enforce laws against infringements originating in its territory or territorial waters, including surveillance and hot pursuit of vessels.
Malta’s territorial waters spans 12 nautical miles around the coast.
Maritime lawyers have described the repercussions of a sanctioned shadow fleet tanker, such as the Arctic Metagaz, reaching Malta’s shores as “hugely problematic”.
According to EU law, Malta would be obliged to issue a freezing order against a sanctioned vessel inside its waters.
The situation could find Maltese authorities facing a costly maritime disaster with no clear party responsible for paying the bill, lawyers warn.
Russian shipping CEO slams response
Meanwhile, the CEO of Russia’s largest shipping company, Sovcomflot, has slammed the muted reaction from European and Maltese authorities to what he described as a “barbaric terrorist attack on a civilian ship”.
In comments to Russian press, Igor Tonkovidov said “none of the European countries condemned the unprecedented aggression act which happened so close to the EU. Why did the Europeans allow this terrorist attack against a Russian-flagged vessel near their waters?”
He said: “I hope that the unprecedented act of aggression against a peaceful merchant ship at the crossroads of busy trade routes in the very center of the Mediterranean Sea, and the subsequent refusal of the authorities of the EU state, near whose coast the attack occurred, to provide assistance to the affected Russian sailors will receive a fair assessment in the professional maritime community.”
Tonkovidov questioned why EU countries failed to help the crew in distress.
The tanker’s 30 crew members escaped in a lifeboat and headed towards Libya. Two crew members were eventually treated for burns in a Libyan hospital.
“It was only thanks to the lucky combination of circumstances, high professionalism and courage of the crew of the sinking vessel, that human casualties were avoided,” Tonkovidov said.
Maltese armed forces were reportedly among the first to reach the burning tanker on Tuesday afternoon, having deployed a surveillance aircraft to the scene.
The crew members were eventually assisted by another Russian shadow fleet tanker, the Respect, which happened to be sailing nearby.
The Respect, which was originally heading eastwards across the Mediterranean, has since reversed course altogether and exited the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. As of Monday afternoon, it was sailing west of the Portuguese coast.
