Drifting LNG Tanker

Libya tows damaged Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz to its west coast
euronews

Seems the war in Ukraine has overflowed into the Mediterranean. Kpler MarineTraffic tells us the ship was on its way from Tieshan Port in China to Port Said, Egypt via the Suez Canal. If the ship was going to Port Said, what was it doing over by Malta? Supposedly, they are building a LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) Terminal at Port Said, but I don't know that Egypt is big producer of natural gas. On the other hand, Algeria has a bunch of LNG terminals that are built to liquify natural gas for loading onto ships, and China has a bunch of regasification terminals for turning LNG back into gas and stuffing it into pipelines. So I suspect the ship was on its way to Algeria, empty, to pick up a load of gas for China.

Meduza reports:

Attempt to tow drifting Russian LNG tanker to Libyan port fails as vessel breaks free in rough weather April 2, 2026

An attempt to tow the drifting Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz to a Libyan port has failed, Libya’s Ports and Maritime Transport Authority said on April 2.

The tanker broke free from the tugboat in rough weather. Strong winds and high waves made it impossible to reattach the tow line. The authority declared the vessel “out of control” and warned other ships to stay away from it.

• A fire broke out in early March aboard the Arctic Metagaz, a Russian-flagged tanker carrying more than 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, while it was in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Libya. The crew was evacuated, and the damaged vessel was left adrift with its cargo still on board. Russia has said the tanker was attacked by Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels.
• Winds and waves pushed the tanker toward the Libyan coast. In late March, Libya’s National Oil Corporation announced that it was forced to take emergency measures and organize a towing operation to bring the drifting tanker into a Libyan port.

Arctic Metagaz
Left to right: Arzew Algeria, Malta, Damietta & Port Said Egypt, Tienshangang China

P. S. Where did the Ukrainian attack drone come from? Magura drones, for example, have a range of 500 miles. The Ukrainian navy currently did not have any navy ships in the Mediterranean last year. Do they now? Enquiring minds want to know.