Libya abandons Arctic Metagaz as ghost ship floats aimlessly in Mediterranean
Ship tracking websites show that the tugboat Maridive 701, which was keeping the uncrewed Russian LNG carrier, Arctic Metagaz, on tow off the eastern Libyan coast has now returned back to base in Tripoli, suggesting the ghost ship is once again adrift in the Mediterranean
26 April 2026, 7:30am by Kurt Sansone
2 min read
The Arctic Metagaz wreck was last located some 90 nautical miles off the Libya’s eastern coast before tugboat operations to keep it on tow were abandoned
The Arctic Metagaz is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” transporting fossil fuels in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
The tanker, carrying liquefied natural gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters earlier this month.
According to Russian authorities, it was hit and badly damaged by Ukrainian naval drones. Ukraine has not commented.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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