Shadow Fleet Tanker Drifts Uncrewed Toward Libya as Europe Warns of Environmental Risk

By Bosphorus News Energy Desk

An uncrewed Russian LNG tanker linked to the shadow fleet has been drifting through the Mediterranean toward Libya’s coast, prompting a response from Libyan authorities and warnings from European governments over the risk of a serious environmental incident.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation said it had contracted a specialist company to handle the tanker, Arctic Metagaz, and move it toward a Libyan port, presenting the operation as a containment effort aimed at reducing the risk of pollution.

Footage released by NGO Sea-Watch showed the vessel drifting in open waters, giving visual confirmation to a case that had already triggered concern among governments and energy authorities.

The issue has moved beyond a maritime safety incident. Italy, France and other Mediterranean states warned the European Commission that the tanker represents a serious ecological threat, while Italy’s civil protection agency said the vessel had entered Libyan search and rescue waters.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation said international experts had been brought in through its subsidiary Mellitah Oil & Gas, in cooperation with Eni, to stabilise the tanker and manage the response off the Libyan coast.

The vessel has drawn additional scrutiny because of its reported shadow fleet links, adding a sanctions and enforcement dimension to a case already shaped by environmental risk and maritime security concerns.

No vessel-specific public statement from the International Maritime Organization or the United Nations was visible in official sources as of March 24, leaving Libya’s response and reporting by international agencies as the main lines of confirmation.