Sanctioned Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz catches fire in the Mediterranean Sea

A vessel on fire in the Mediterranean Sea is likely the Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Arctic Metagaz (IMO: 9243148), according to reports from maritime open source intelligence (OSINT) analyst H. I. Sutton, Greek media outlet Naftemporiki, and trade publication gCaptain.

Videos of the burning LNG carrier appeared on X and Telegram, with several accounts claiming the fire was preceded by explosions. A representative of the Greek company Diaplous Group, which specializes in maritime security and risk management, confirmed the fire to gCaptain’s reporters. “We can confirm it happened, but we do not know any further details at this time,” the representative said. As H. I. Sutton noted, the video had not been published previously, which adds credibility to arguments that the footage is authentic.

On Feb. 18, Arctic Metagaz loaded LNG at Russia’s sanctioned Saam floating storage unit, then traveled around Britain and Spain to enter the Mediterranean. According to data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence made available to The Insider, Arctic Metagaz stopped transmitting an automatic identification system (AIS) signal on March 2 at about 9:30 p.m. Moscow time as it exited Malta’s exclusive economic zone.