A Mediterranean tourist hotspot is at risk of an ecological disaster as it braces for the arrival of a Russian ghost tanker packed with fuel.
The huge 900-foot Arctic Metagaz is currently drifting about 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta, after being struck by Ukrainian drones earlier this month.
Italy, France, and seven other nations have now warned the European Commission of the ecological dangers of the smouldering ship.
The seven countries said: "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 ship is carrying around 900 tonnes of diesel fuel and more than 60,000 tonnes of liquified natural gas, according to Italian authorities.
On March 3, the ship was attacked in "neutral waters in the central Mediterranean Sea", 168 nautical miles southeast of Russia.
The 30 crew members on board the ship were rescued by Libyan lifeboats and taken to Benghazi by the coast guard.
Russia accused Ukraine of striking the ship with naval drones launched from the Libyan coast, allegations Kyiv has not commented on.
The 900foot Arctic Metagaz is carrying liquified natural gas and oil and adrift near Malta
|GETTY
It left the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk on course to Egypt, according to VesselFinder data.
The tanker is alleged to be part of Moscow's "shadow fleet", a set of aging tankers used to transport Russian oil across the world and bypass sanctions imposed by Europe and the US.
Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was in contact with Arctic Metagaz's owner and foreign "competent bodies".
She said in a statement: "The international legal norms applicable to the current situation imply the responsibility of coastal countries... for resolving the situation with the drifting vessel and preventing an environmental disaster.
LATEST FROM EUROPE:
Italian and Maltese authorities have prepared tugboats and anti-pollution assets to intervene if need be
|GETTY
"Further involvement by the shipowner and Russia as the flag state will depend on the specific circumstances."
Both Italian and Maltese authorities have dispatched tugboats and anti-pollution assets to intervene with the boat if necessary.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her Government was in "constant contact" with the Maltese authorities to monitor the drifting oil tanker, described as "a ticking time bomb filled with gas".
Salvage authorities are currently preparing in Malta in case the ships float into its waters.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said the tanker could cause "serious repercussions" to the tourism and fishing industries of the nearby Pelagie Islands.
The international conservation organisation said: "A potential spill could cause wildfires, cryogenic clouds that are lethal to marine wildlife, and large, long-lasting pollution of water and atmosphere.
"The area concerned is of exceptional ecological value, with fragile deep ecosystems and one of the highest biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin."
Malta had more than 4 million tourists in 2025
|GETTY
The Pelagie Islands are three small Italian islands between Malta and Tunisia, and are the southernmost point of Italy.
One of them is Lampedusa, the typical landing point for small boat migrants in Italy from northern Africa.
Malta received more than four million tourists in 2025, the equivalent to seven tourists for every one resident.
Both Italy and Malta have warned those at sea to keep at least five nautical miles from the ship.
The ship was first incorrectly reported by the Libyan Port Authority to have sunk after suffering "sudden explosions followed by massive fire", Italian naval authorities said.