The Russian gas carrier "Arctic Metagaz" caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Malta, Reuters reported.

The publication reported that the ship's crew was successfully evacuated and transferred to another vessel. Journalists also suggest that the fire may have been caused by a drone attack.

The gas carrier left the port of Murmansk and was most likely heading towards the Suez Canal.

"Arctic Metagaz" (IMO 9243148) is a tanker for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG Tanker). It was built in 2003 at the South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in the city of Geoje. The current name was assigned to the vessel in 2025, after the transition under the Russian flag.

Technical characteristics of the vessel: 

• Length: 277 meters
• Width: 43 meters
• Gross tonnage (GT): 93,844 tons
• Deadweight (DWT): 77,551 tons
• Cargo capacity: 138,028 cubic meters (volume of tanks for the transportation of liquefied gas)
• Draft: varies, maximum registered - 11.2 meters
• Main engine brand: Kawasaki UA-400
• Main engine power: 26,985 kW.

Read more materials on the topic:

• Russia delivered 131 ships in a year and is starting to build its own gas carriers
• The nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" of project 22220 will escort the gas carrier "Alexey Kosygin" to "Arctic LNG-2"
• The new icebreaking tanker-gas carrier "Alexey Kosygin" set off on its first voyage