Malta and four other member states seek EU response to drifting Russian tanker

Five EU members states, including Malta, have asked the European Commission to activate the civil protection mechanism in response to the environmental threat posed by the Arctic Metagaz.

“The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the union’s maritime space,” the leaders of Malta, Italy, Spain, Greece and Cyprus said in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The leaders said that given the “scale and immediacy of the risk”, the civil protection mechanism would ensure a coordinated union-level response to mobilise collective EU capabilities.

“In this context, we look to the European Commission to facilitate the mobilisation and coordination of member states and existing EU-level mechanisms, with the goal of ensuring their more efficient, better coordinated and faster response, including through the operational engagement of the relevant EU agencies, notably the European Maritime Safety Agency,” the leaders said.

But they also highlighted the operational constraints arising from the interaction of the EU sanctions regime, which provides for exemptions in situations involving maritime safety and environmental protection and restrictive measures imposed by other jurisdictions that may not provide for comparable exemptions.

The Arctic Metagaz forms part of Russia’s shadow fleet and earlier this month was struck by what is believed to have been a Ukrainian maritime drone that caused an explosion and fire on board. All crew members survived but the badly-damaged tanker, which was carrying liquefied natural gas and other fuels, is now drifting without crew and a payload of explosive fuel.

Read the letter below:

The letter to Von der Leyen, which was sent on Malta’s initiative, also raised concerns about the enforcement of sanctions: “The case of the Arctic Metagaz, a documented component of the Russian ‘shadow fleet’, illustrates how such vessels, through the circumvention of EU restrictive measures and international standards, and the broader impact of incidents affecting maritime traffic in the region pose serious risks to maritime safety, environmental protection, and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean and beyond. Allowing such practices to persist not only exposes the union to serious ecological harm, but also risks undermining the integrity, effectiveness and deterrent value of the EU sanctions regime, underscoring the need for determined and coordinated action at Union level.”

The leaders said they intend to raise these issues at this week’s European Council meeting, expressing willingness to cooperate with the commission to ensure “a swift, European-led resolution”.

The letter was co-signed by Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.