The Libyan authorities have lost control of the Arctic Metagaz gas carrier. The main thing

In the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian gas carrier Arctic Metagaz lost its tow and began to drift due to a storm. The Libyan authorities have deployed resources to protect the coast. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The incident at sea

The Russian gas carrier Arctic Metagaz went out of control on April 2 at 3:00 Moscow time. Due to adverse weather conditions and waves over 7 m high, the cable connecting the vessel to the tugboat broke. Experts from the Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority reported that the transportation operation had failed.

Libyan authorities have warned that the tugboat will not be able to return for re-mooring due to a severe storm. Khaled Ghulam, an official representative of the Libyan Committee for Emergency Situations, noted that it is impossible to predict the direction of movement of the drifting tanker now. Other ships were urged not to approach the Russian gas carrier in order to avoid collisions.

"The damaged Russian tanker got out of control due to adverse weather conditions and wave heights exceeding 7 m. The cable connecting the vessel to the tugboat that has been towing it in recent days has snapped," Khaled Ghulam told TASS.

Causes of damage to the vessel

Earlier it became known that the Arctic Metagaz was damaged on March 4 near Malta. The vessel was attacked by Ukrainian unmanned boats. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a terrorist attack, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that Western countries do not hide Kiev's involvement in the incident.

There were 30 people on board the ship at the time of the attack. All crew members were rescued by the joint efforts of the Russian and Maltese sides, no one was injured. An Egyptian vessel began towing the damaged tanker on March 30, but the weather prevented the operation from being completed.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia is considering retaliatory steps in connection with the incident in the Mediterranean Sea. Appropriate measures will be taken taking into account the threat to international security.

"We reserve the right to take political and diplomatic measures in connection with this incident," she is quoted as saying on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.