‘Environmental bomb’: EU raises alarm over Russian tanker in Mediterranean
The European Union has raised the alarm about an abandoned Russian tanker filled with fuel and gas.
At least nine EU countries have written a letter to the EU Commission about the potential hazards of fuel and gas leakage from the tanker currently floating in waters between Malta and Italy in the Mediterranean.
One Italian official described the tanker as an “environmental bomb” that could “explode at any moment.”
The letter states that the wounded cargo tanker poses imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the EU waters.
The damaged vessel was part of Russia’s Shadow Fleet which intended to find a way around the EU against Russia in the wake of its attack on Ukraine in 2022.
The vessel sailed from the Russian port of Murmansk in February and it was carrying 700 metric tons of different types of fuel, including a substantial amount of natural gas.
The ship was allegedly attacked and caught fire in March; however, Ukraine did not take responsibility for any attack. There was a 30-member crew aboard the tanker, who remained safe.
Russia condemned the incident, describing it as an act of “international terrorism and maritime piracy.”
It alleged that the ship was attacked near Malta in international waters with Ukrainian drones launched from the Libyan coast.
