Seavanta

Maritime insight and advisory. Security, LNG, operations.

Security·14 Aug 2026·East Med

Arctic Metagas: fire in the central Mediterranean

On 3 March 2026 the Russian-flagged LNG carrier Arctic Metagas suffered explosions and fire. About 30 crew left the ship and were found safe. She did not sink. Who caused the explosions is not established.

Aerial of Arctic Metagas on fire, 3 March 2026. Smoke from the after end; overlay in frame. Does not identify an attacker.
Aerial of Arctic Metagas on fire, 3 March 2026. Smoke from the after end; overlay in frame. Does not identify an attacker. — Media desk still — aerial, 3 Mar 2026

On 3 March 2026 the Russian-flagged LNG carrier Arctic Metagas suffered explosions and fire in the central Mediterranean. About 30 crew left the ship. Malta’s armed forces found them safe in a lifeboat in the Libyan search-and-rescue region. The ship did not sink.

Who caused the explosions is not established. Russia’s transport ministry blamed Ukrainian uncrewed craft. Ukraine has not claimed the incident. There is no UKMTO or JMIC product on the case.

Closer aerial, 3 March 2026: opening in the starboard side, smoke still rising. Frame shows damage, not a perpetrator.
Closer aerial, 3 March 2026: opening in the starboard side, smoke still rising. Frame shows damage, not a perpetrator. — Media desk still — aerial, 3 Mar 2026

What happened

Arctic Metagas was eastbound from the Kola / Murmansk area when the explosions and fire occurred. Press reported the cargo as sanctioned Arctic LNG 2; that cargo link is press, not confirmed. Early Libyan reporting on 4 March said she had sunk about 130 nautical miles north of Sirte. Later official and commercial reporting — Malta, Italy, then Libya — showed she stayed afloat. The sink claim is not fact.

The crew abandonment and the fire are confirmed. An attack, and any attacker, are not established.

What happened next

Arctic Metagas later, still afloat: burned superstructure and stained moss-green hull. Not a picture of 3 March, and not a wreck.
Arctic Metagas later, still afloat: burned superstructure and stained moss-green hull. Not a picture of 3 March, and not a wreck. — Media desk still

The damaged hull drifted for weeks between Malta, Italy, and the Libyan coast. Tows failed. By late April a Libyan tug had her at anchor about 18 nautical miles north-northeast of Benghazi, some eight miles off Daryanah. That position comes from satellite imagery on 30 April, not from live AIS. She was surveyed near Benghazi in late May. There is no official public status for August 2026. AIS last spoke in early March.

Libya’s NOC said some cargo gas may have vented. Residual fuel remains a concern. Salvage and legal future are uncertain.

The ship

The same hull as BW Everett, in clean condition. Identification photograph — not the Mediterranean fire.
The same hull as BW Everett, in clean condition. Identification photograph — not the Mediterranean fire. — Media desk still / Commons ID (ex-BW Everett)

Arctic Metagas is a 2003-built LNG carrier, about 277 metres, Russian-flagged, formerly Berge Everett and later BW Everett among other names. She is sanctioned in the US, UK, and EU. Fleet last good place is the April satellite hold off Benghazi, not a live track.

What we are watching

  • Any official identification of a cause or attacker — still none
  • A current position or salvage decision
  • Whether she is moved, repaired, or declared a wreck

In the library & related

Contact: desk@seavanta.com — tips, corrections, I was there.

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