Five EU leaders seek urgent solution for drifting Russian tanker to avoid environmental catastrophe

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ROME (AP) — Five southern European nations are seeking an urgent solution for an unmanned Russian tanker drifting in the Mediterranean, warning the European Commission that it poses a major environmental threat, according to a letter confirmed by Spain’s government on Wednesday.

The Arctic Metagaz is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” transporting sanctioned fossil fuels. The tanker, carrying liquefied natural gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters earlier this month.

In early March, Russia blamed an attack by Ukrainian sea drones for hitting one of its tankers carrying liquefied natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya.

In a joint letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the leaders of Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece and Cyprus warned that the vessel poses an “imminent and serious risk” of a major ecological disaster, and requested to activate the bloc’s civil protection mechanism.

In addition to the Spanish government, three EU government officials confirmed the contents of the letter. The three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The five leaders urged a coordinated EU-level response to mobilize resources quickly, citing the tanker’s damaged condition and hazardous cargo as key concerns.

“The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialized cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the union’s maritime space,” they wrote in the letter.

All crew members survived but the damaged tanker, which was carrying LNG and other fuels, is now drifting without crew and a payload of explosive fuel.

In their letter, the five leaders highlighted broader risks posed by vessels operating outside international standards, warning of threats to maritime safety and the environment across the Mediterranean.

The leaders said they intend to raise these issues at this week’s European Council meeting, expressing willingness to cooperate with the commission to ensure “a swift, European-led resolution.”

Earlier this week the tanker was adrift between Malta and the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, while it is now moving closer to Libya, Maltese media reported on Wednesday.

Italy’s undersecretary to the premier's office Alfredo Mantovano told an Italian radio program on Monday that Malta had imposed a ban on approaching within 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the tanker, “because the vessel could explode at any moment.”

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Elena Becatoros in Athens and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus contributed to this report.