Russia Blames Ukraine for Sinking Massive Tanker in the Mediterranean – RedState
The Russian Transport Ministry blames the Ukrainian military for the massive explosion that sent the 93,000-ton tanker full of liquefied natural gas. Arctic metagas to the bottom of the Mediterranean. THE Arctic metagasa Russian-flagged LNG carrier, was en route from Tieshan, China, to Port Said, Egypt, with a cargo of 61,000 tonnes of LNG. While about 150 miles off the coast of Sirte, Libya, it lit up the Mediterranean sky.
What you’re looking at isn’t a sunrise, it’s the Russian LNG tanker ARCTIC METAGAZ (IMO 9243148) hit by a massive explosion in the Mediterranean this morning. Photographed by crew aboard a merchant ship, via Vanguard Tech. pic.twitter.com/QrX5BWWTr0
– Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) March 3, 2026
The ship sank and all 30 crew members were reportedly rescued. However, I must say that I am skeptical that 61,000 tonnes of LNG can be cooked without a single death.
New photo of the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, which suffered a massive explosion in the Mediterranean early yesterday.
The ship is a smoking hulk, the explosion almost splitting it in two. pic.twitter.com/eCKHlbThku
– OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 4, 2026
New photos have been released of the sanctioned Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, which suffered serious damage in the Mediterranean early Tuesday in a suspected Ukrainian drone strike. pic.twitter.com/4IpY50qWqv
– Business Ukraine Magazine (@Biz_Ukraine_Mag) March 4, 2026
Comparison of the sanctioned Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz before and after the attack. The tug clearly shows how huge the hole in the tanker’s hull is. https://t.co/9WGPLFe6HG pic.twitter.com/WdFSFfYmvJ
— Special Kherson cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 4, 2026
The Russians say the ship was the victim of a “terrorist attack” launched by a Ukrainian maritime drone launched from the Libyan coast. Although the launch of drones from the “Libyan coast” seems rather unlikely, other alleged Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships have taken place. On December 19, the Omani-flagged “Dark Fleet” tanker Qendil was hit by aerial drones off the Libyan coast. He would have been badly damaged, but he would have been able to continue moving.
2/Oil tankers unload/load their cargo through a series of manifolds located amidships, port and starboard. The large crane is used to move pipes needed for ship-to-ship transfers – something many of Russia’s Ghost Fleet ships perform at anchor. pic.twitter.com/wnmQDXfNq3
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) December 20, 2025
4/There were also explosions on the port and starboard manifolds.
It is not known whether these detonations could have caused serious damage to the piping.
It should be noted that the attack did not target the bridge or the crew. pic.twitter.com/2xWkHLLYy5
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) December 20, 2025
He just didn’t move for that long.
4/There were also explosions on the port and starboard manifolds.
It is not known whether these detonations could have caused serious damage to the piping.
It should be noted that the attack did not target the bridge or the crew. pic.twitter.com/2xWkHLLYy5
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) December 20, 2025
Much more interesting is the sinking of the the Great Bear just inside the Strait of Gibraltar.
🐳Now officially: the sanctioned Russian cargo ship “Ursa Major” sank in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Gibraltar, after a reported explosion in an engine room!
The ship was under US sanctions from 2022 for supplying weapons to the Russian army in Syria.
The ship sank for… https://t.co/jaTJdxX6Xb pic.twitter.com/XGkNUTqZg5
— Special Kherson cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 24, 2024
The declared cargo consisted of two heavy harbor cranes, each weighing 380 tonnes, with a lifting capacity of 350 tonnes, and two 45 tonne hatch covers for the new icebreakers destined for Vladivostok. A Spanish investigation concluded that the undeclared cargo was “two VM-4SG nuclear reactor casings destined for North Korea, based on satellite images before the ships sank.”
This war against Russian tankers in the Mediterranean is paying strategic dividends. Russian “Dark Fleet” tankers are bypassing the Cape of Good Hope to avoid crossing the Mediterranean.
More importantly, another ship in the Ghost Fleet appears to have changed course entirely.
The LNG carrier Arctic Vostokwhich was sailing westward across the eastern Indian Ocean when the explosion occurred, initially slowed down and began turning south of Sri Lanka shortly after the incident was announced.
However, over the past 24 hours, the ship has begun heading steadily south-southwest – a trajectory that suggests it is preparing to bypass the Suez Canal and round the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa.
Such a detour would keep the ship far from the Mediterranean and well out of the potential range of Ukrainian maritime drones.
Russian “ghost fleet” LNG tankers redirected after Arctic Metagaz sinks in Mediterranean
👉Arctic Vostok turns away from Suez/Med and instead takes the route to Cape Town
👉Arctic Pioneer continues to hold in Port Said rather than passing through the Mediterranean. https://t.co/gydfrQoEiw pic.twitter.com/92VKdAw72L– Malte Humpert (@malte_humpert) March 5, 2026
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