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With over 50,000 tons of liquefied gas and without a crew since March 3, the Arctic Metagaz drifts in the Mediterranean, exposing environmental risks and leaving authorities without a practical solution to the impasse
The Russian bomb ship Arctic Metagaz has been adrift in the Mediterranean Sea since March 3, without a crew, with over 50,000 tons of liquefied gas and less than 200 kilometers from the Libyan coast.
Second towing attempt fails due to bad weather
Last week, the second attempt to control the irregular advance of the Arctic Metagaz ended unsuccessfully.
The bad weather broke the cable connecting the ship to the tug responsible for taking it away from the Libyan coast.
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With the break, the cargo ship resumed drifting in the Mediterranean. The situation remains unresolved, while Libyan authorities monitor the risk posed by the explosive and polluting cargo kept on board.
First operation had already ended the same way
The first attempt to avoid a catastrophe also failed last month. The problem was the same: the cables used in the operation did not withstand the effort and broke before the ship was controlled.
At that time, the tug Maridive 701, hired by the Libyan government, was supposed to lead the cargo ship out of the country’s territorial sea limits. Unable to tow it, it merely monitored its movement.
The Arctic Metagaz continued zigzagging, pushed by sea currents. When the weather improved, a new attachment to the tug was made and, initially, the operation seemed to work.
Days later, the sea became rough again and the cables broke once more. The result was the ship’s return to drifting, a situation that has lasted almost two months.
Russian bomb ship remains without a destination
At this moment, the Maridive 701 is back to monitoring the movement of the Arctic Metagaz, without leading it to a concrete destination. The impasse persists because no port has agreed to receive the vessel.
The risk lies in the state of the ship and its cargo. It is a semi-destroyed cargo ship, without a crew, with explosive and polluting material, which deters any willingness to receive it in port facilities.
Almost two months later, there is still no practical solution to the case. The Russian bomb ship continues to be pushed away, without an operational strategy capable of ending the emergency.
Russian bomb ship: Emergency exposes responsibility void
The case has come to illustrate flaws in maritime legislation when the threat does not clearly belong to a single country.
As it involves various interests, the actors point to shared responsibilities and avoid taking command of the solution.
The Arctic Metagaz appears as a vessel without an effective owner. The shipowner has not taken control of the ship, the Russian government has also not acted to rescue it, and the European Union remains without a practical response.
The maritime emergency involves risk to other ships, environmental threat, and a delicate political situation.
The central question remains unanswered: who should take responsibility and remove the danger from the sea?
The cited alternatives are few. One would be to sink the ship safely and controlled, after transferring the cargo to another vessel at sea. The other would be to tow it to a port willing to receive it.
So far, none of these possibilities have advanced. Without an available port and without coordinated action, the problem remains open, while the cargo ship keeps its explosive cargo in the Mediterranean.
Connection with the Ghost Fleet
The Arctic Metagaz is 277 meters long and is part of the so-called Ghost Fleet. This network comprises old cargo ships used to transport Russian oil and derivatives clandestinely.
The aim of this scheme is to circumvent sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, four years ago. This connection would help explain the lack of action by the shipowner and the Russian government.
The ship had departed from Murmansk, Russia, bound for Egypt. It exploded off the coast of Libya, and the Russian government attributed the case to a Ukrainian drone attack, classified by Moscow as an act of terrorism.
The 30 crew members escaped. Some suffered burns but managed to leave the vessel before the freighter began to drift out of control, like a ghost ship escorted by a tugboat with no defined destination.
Case recalls former aircraft carrier São Paulo
The situation of the Arctic Metagaz recalls the episode of the former Brazilian aircraft carrier São Paulo, which occurred four years ago.
In that case, the ship spent six months being towed, crossed the Atlantic twice, and remained without a solution.
The sale for scrapping in Turkey was canceled due to the amount of toxic material on board. Afterward, the Turkish company that bought the ship decided to abandon it at sea.
The Brazilian Navy, which had sold the vessel, was eventually forced to take on the problem. The case ended as a disaster now cited as a warning for the fate of the Russian bomb ship.
Until a decision is made about the Arctic Metagaz, the vessel will remain a floating impasse. The cargo, the distance from the Libyan coast, and the lack of a destination keep the emergency without a final answer.
With information from UOL.
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