Russian tanker on fire in Mediterranean Sea, Moscow accuses Ukraine of sea drone attack
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
A Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, the Arctic Metagaz, reportedly caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea, multiple media outlets reported on March 3.
Reuters reported, citing maritime sources, that the U.S., EU, and U.K.-sanctioned vessel was ablaze near the coast of Malta, while other outlets placed the incident closer to Libya’s shoreline.
Photos and videos posted to social media of the reported fire appear to show large flames emanating from the ship in the early hours of March 3. Citing Malta's armed forces, Reuters reported that the crew had been found safe aboard a lifeboat within Libya's search-and-rescue zone.
One source told Reuters that the fire may have been caused by a Ukrainian naval drone attack, although those reports have not been confirmed.
Russian state media TASS claimed on March 4, citing the Russian Ministry of Transport, that the gas tanker Arctic Metagas was attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.
According to the report, the vessel departed from the Russian port of Murmansk and was attacked by sea drones launched off the coast of Libya.
The ministry claimed the tanker was carrying cargo that was "cleared in accordance with all international regulations."
It added that rescue services from Malta and Russia saved all 30 crew members.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the details around the cause of the reported fire. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reports.
The vessels is suspected of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers, consisting of ships that rely on opaque ownership, flags of convenience, and irregular shipping practices to move Russian oil despite Western restrictions.
Kyiv continues to escalate its campaign against Russian oil and gas infrastructure, a key source of Moscow's revenues helping to fuel its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine has ramped up its attacks on Russian tankers using sea drone, with Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) claiming to have struck two sanctioned Russian oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, off Turkey's Black Sea coast in late November. The SBU said on Dec. 10 that it used Sea Baby naval drones to strike an oil tanker from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea, claiming that it had critically damaged the ship.
In December 2025, Kyiv struck a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, a source in the SBU told the Kyiv Independent, in neutral waters more than 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
Ukraine also routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.
