Libya's Bold Move: Securing a Stranded Russian Tanker

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Saturday that it has contracted a specialist firm to manage a damaged Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is currently adrift toward the Libyan coastline.

The tanker, Arctic Metagaz, is to be towed to a Libyan port, as NOC officials assured that there is no immediate threat to the country's oil facilities. This development comes after Italy, France, Spain, and six other southern EU states expressed concerns to the European Commission about potential ecological risks from the drifting vessel.

The managing operation is coordinated through Mellitah Oil and Gas in cooperation with Italy's Eni, highlighting the multilateral effort to contain the vessel, which was damaged by Ukrainian naval drones. An Italian official disclosed that the tanker carries around 450 metric tons of heavy oil, 250 tons of diesel, and an unspecified quantity of LNG that might have partially regasified.