Malta on alert as damaged Russian tanker could enter Maltese waters by Sunday

Malta has activated an emergency contingency plan as a damaged Russian tanker carrying around 700 metric tons of fuel and tons of LNG could enter Maltese waters by Sunday evening, Times of Malta is informed.

The vessel, which suffered a suspected missile attack earlier on March 3, was drifting around 50 nautical miles southeast of Malta on Saturday, raising fears of environmental and maritime safety risks.

The authorities fear that the wind direction could push the 244-metre-long, 43-metre-wide Arctic Metagaz just off the west coast of Gozo by Sunday evening. 

"It all depends on the wind direction, of course, but at this rate it looks like it's heading to Gozo by Sunday night or Monday," one source close to the operations said. 

The authorities in Malta and Italy are working jointly to address the situation. On the Maltese side, the response is being coordinated by Transport Malta and involves the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Armed Forces of Malta, and the Civil Protection Department.

Tugboats are on standby to prevent the vessel from entering Maltese territorial waters, with the AFM monitoring the ship's movements three times a day over the past week. 

Sources said the plan is to try to tow the vessel away from the area, although it has not yet been determined where it could ultimately be moved to.

It is still not considered safe to mount the ship, since explosions on board were still reported until Friday. Two of the four LNG tankers are still intact, with the other two blown up. 

“Despite the massive blast on board, the ship is still stable and unlikely to sink, at least for the time being,” a source said.

“It has not yet been established where it can be towed to, but we are trying to identify somewhere deep. We have towing services in place.”

The Arctic Metagaz was badly damaged in an apparent attack.

Italian media reported the Arctic Metagaz was carrying 900 tons of fuel, but Times of Malta is informed it is carrying around 700 tons.

Authorities are also exploring the possibility of removing the vessel's bunkering fuel, but this is complicated by the ship's legal status. 

The tanker has been sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union for being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers used to transport oil and gas while circumventing Western restrictions.

Because of those sanctions, sources said, any operation involving the vessel presents numerous logistical and legal difficulties.

Officials from Malta and Italy have also been in contact with the European Commission as they assess possible responses.

“This is an unprecedented issue and a clear wake-up call to all of us,” another source said.

Environmental and safety concerns

Authorities are particularly concerned about two possible scenarios.

The first is the potential environmental impact if the fuel on board were to spill.

Officials are hoping that, if released, much of the fuel would evaporate before causing major damage, but there are concerns especially about the possible impact on Malta's reverse osmosis plants, which are critical to the country’s water supply.

Should fuel contamination reach those facilities, it could have serious consequences for national water production.

But experts said the Water Services Corporation extracts the water from seawells, which could take a while for any contamination to reach them. Also, Malta's RO plants are strategically located to support each other in case any need to be switched off. The WSC provides enough emergency supplies to last a week. 

The second concern is the risk posed by the vessel itself. The authorities fear the drifting tanker could collide with other vessels or potentially with land.

If an explosion were to occur close to land, the consequences could be “catastrophic,” one source close to the operation said, on condition of anonymity.

Mariners have been instructed to keep at least five nautical miles away from the damaged vessel at all times.