Malta seeks international support amid Russian tanker impasse

Updated 5pm with foreign minister's remarks at meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Malta is seeking international support to find a “permanent solution” to the stricken Russian gas tanker, Robert Abela said on Monday.

The Arctic Metagaz tanker continues to drift in international waters, moving from Malta’s search and rescue area to those of Italy and Libya at different times, the prime minister said.

Surveillance updates on Monday morning placed the tanker 54 nautical miles away from Malta, which is within Malta’s search and rescue zone but outside its territorial waters, he added.

The tanker is believed to be carrying hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel oil, Abela said, with Malta now reaching out to international allies for support.

On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg raised the issue at a Foreign Affairs Council meeting. Abela said he had previously informed the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of the situation.

Malta is also discussing the matter with the remainder of the Med9, an alliance of nine Mediterranean and Southern European countries, aside from maintaining regular contact with Italian authorities, Abela said.

The Med9 countries are working “collectively” to find a solution, he said.

Tugboats outside AFM's fleet

Abela once again said Malta was prepared for any eventuality, with a contingency plan already in place. However, he stopped short of divulging any details on what the plan consists of or at what point it would be triggered.

However, he did say that the contingency plan involves the use of tugboats that do not form part of AFM’s current equipment.

Contacts with Russian authorities in recent days, as well as with representatives of the tanker’s mother company failed to yield a “permanent solution,” Abela said.

He said current indications suggest that there will be no need to activate Malta’s contingency plans, although this could change as the tanker continues to drift.

The vessel is believed to have been damaged in an attack earlier this month. Russia has pinned the blame for the attack on Ukraine.

Over the past days, authorities feared the stricken vessel could be approaching Maltese waters, with wind pushing the 277-metre-long gas tanker just off Gozo’s west coast.

Experts have warned of the security risks the vessel poses, as well as the environmental damage caused by the vessel.

Fishers have been warned to steer clear and University of Malta rector and chemist Alfred Vella has previously warned the vessel’s "own fuel and bilge water could cause harm if it were to leak out".

Last Friday, Italian authorities held an emergency summit, attended by several top government officials, to discuss the situation. Following the summit, Italian authorities said they would continue monitoring the situation together with their Maltese counterparts.

Neither Maltese nor Italian maritime authorities have so far intervened directly to secure the drifting tanker.

Legal protection needed for salvage operators dealing with sanctioned vessels - Borg

Foreign Minister Ian Borg raised the Arctic Metagaz incident at a regular EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.   

He spoke on Malta’s concerns on the developing situation and the growing presence of shadow fleet vessels in the Mediterranean.

He urged the ministers to consider ways to prevent shadow fleet vessels from reaching EU waters, possibly through stronger scrutiny at key transit points such as the Suez and the Strait of Gibraltar. This would help ensure that vessels entering the EU are in possession of the required insurance cover, especially for damages related to maritime pollution. They also should need a valid flag status.

He updated the foreign ministers on Malta’s surveillance of the Arctic Metagaz since the incident earlier this month, as well as ongoing preparations and negotiations, in collaboration with Italy and other stakeholders, to ensure mariners’ safety and environmental protection in the area.

He said the Arctic Metagaz issue also raised issues on certain inconsistencies across different sanctions regimes, especially in the legal protection of salvage operators required to intervene on sanctioned vessels in cases of environmental risk and maritime safety. Dr Borg emphasised the need for the EU to explore measures to ensure that salvage operations by EU member states can proceed without the risk of exposing operators to third-party sanctions. .

The minister also warned that the persistent closure of the Strait of Hormuz is becoming increasingly disruptive. “Freedom of navigation must be safeguarded, and vessels and seafarers must be spared attack. EU coordination is essential,” he stated.