Russian tanker lifeboat enters Malta, held by Transport Malta

The lifeboat used by crew members to flee the burning Russian shadow fleet tanker Arctic Metagaz is being held by Maltese transport authorities, after it drifted into Malta’s territorial waters.

Sources told Times of Malta that the lifeboat had entered Maltese waters last week, risking a collision with tuna pens off the coast of Marsaxlokk.

Fishers in the area secured the lifeboat and towed it to Marsaxlokk, before Transport Malta retrieved it and took it to Marsa under the watch of the authority’s Maritime Enforcement Unit.

Photos taken on Monday afternoon show the lifeboat docked in Marsa.

When contacted, a Transport Malta spokesperson said “we are holding the lifeboat in a secure location in view of the current circumstances”.

Sources told Times of Malta that authorities had frozen the lifeboat in line with EU sanctions on the tanker and its parent company.

The Arctic Metagaz was first sanctioned by the EU in February 2025.

The tanker was spotted in Marsa on Monday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The lifeboat was used by the Arctic Metagaz’s 30 crew members to flee the vessel when it was first attacked in early March.

In a statement in parliament shortly after the incident, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the crew had escaped the Arctic Metagaz by lifeboat, making their way to the MV Respect, another Russian tanker that was nearby.

The crew members were eventually taken to Libya, where two of them were treated for burns.

Like the tanker, the lifeboat was abandoned and left to drift unmanned. However, while the tanker spent several days drifting in international waters, its lifeboat entered Maltese waters last week, prompting authorities to secure the vessel.

On Saturday, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said it would collaborate with Italian energy giants Eni to tow the stricken tanker to Libya’s shores, saying it had taken action to “reduce the risk of pollution”.

Over the weekend, Italian authorities confirmed that the vessel remained in international waters but within Libya’s search and rescue zone.

On Monday evening, Robert Abela told parliament the vessel had drifted further away from Malta, in Tunisia’s direction. It was now closer to the Libyan coast, but it was still drifting, he said.

The drifting tanker had caused alarm in recent weeks, with authorities describing it as a security concern.

The tanker is believed to be carrying over 60,000 tonnes of LNG, together with hundreds of tonnes of bunker oil.

The situation sparked an emergency summit among top Italian government officials when the vessel appeared to be approaching Lampedusa. Meanwhile, Maltese authorities said they had a contingency plan in place, ready to be activated if needed.

On Wednesday, Malta and four other Mediterranean countries called for swift EU action to address the situation, describing it as “an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster”.

Abela told parliament on Monday that he had urged Brussels to establish a process that would allow immediate action when faced with such incidents that were complicated not only because of the cargo the vessel was carrying, but also because of the imposed sanctions. 

Such accidents raised questions about ecological and navigation risks as well as the security of the surrounding countries, he said, noting that while the island was prepared for any eventuality, he was not happy that a permanent solution had not yet been found.