Crew of Sanctioned Russian LNG Carrier Arctic Metagaz Found Alive After Fire Incident Off Malta

The crew of the sanctioned Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz have been located alive after abandoning ship following a reported fire in the central Mediterranean, Maltese authorities confirmed Tuesday.

In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) said its Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Malta) was alerted earlier in the day to a distress situation involving the vessel while it was transiting waters outside Malta’s Search and Rescue Region.

“Upon receipt of the alert, RCC Malta initiated verification procedures and efforts to establish the exact position of the vessel,” the AFM said in the statement. “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.”

During the search effort, survivors were located in a lifeboat within the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. “All crew were reported safely onboard the lifeboat,” the AFM added.

The incident follows earlier reports that the LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz had caught fire southeast of Malta during the early hours of Tuesday morning. According to maritime security firm EOS Risk Group, the vessel was reported to have suffered a possible drone attack at approximately 0400 local time while transiting eastbound in the Mediterranean.

A representative from Greece-based maritime security firm Diaplous Group earlier confirmed to gCaptain that the vessel had been on fire but said details remained limited. “We can confirm it happened, but we do not know any further details at this time,” the representative said.

Vessel tracking data shows 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 vessel’s Automatic Identification System signal reportedly disappeared roughly 30 nautical miles off Malta’s northeastern coast prior to the incident.

Data from Flightradar24 also showed a Turkish Navy ATR 72-600 maritime patrol aircraft circling near the vessel’s last known position, suggesting regional authorities were actively monitoring the situation.

The Arctic Metagaz is among a small fleet of vessels used to transport liquefied natural gas from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project to overseas buyers. The vessel has been under U.S. and UK sanctions since 2024 as Western governments attempt to restrict Moscow’s ability to export energy from the Arctic project.

At this stage, the cause of the fire remains unclear. Early reports from Greek media cited possible explosions following the initial incident, though these claims have not been independently verified. Authorities have also not confirmed whether the event was the result of an accident, mechanical failure, or a deliberate attack.

The incident comes amid increasing scrutiny of Russia’s growing “shadow fleet” of tankers and LNG carriers operating outside traditional Western insurance and compliance frameworks. It also follows earlier sabotage incidents targeting Russian-linked vessels in the Mediterranean.

In December, the Omani-flagged tanker Qendil, described as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, was reportedly struck by an explosive device between Crete and Malta in what analysts said marked the first confirmed Ukrainian-linked attack on a vessel in the region.

Editorial Standards · Corrections · About gCaptain

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 107,166 members