CAIRO (AP) — A Russian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied natural gas exploded and caught fire in the Mediterranean off Libya before sinking, authorities in the North African country said Wednesday. Russia claimed Ukrainian maritime drone strikes were to blame.
Libya’s Maritime Authority reported on Tuesday that the Arctic Metazaz “suddenly exploded and subsequently burst into flames” about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the city of Sirte.
The tanker, which was carrying 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, “completely sank” between Libya and Malta, a statement said. All 30 crew members were rescued and taken to another ship bound for the Libyan city of Benghazi, the statement said.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said the ship was hit by a Ukrainian maritime drone launched from the Libyan coast. Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Wednesday called the tanker incident a “terrorist attack” that “exacerbated the situation in global energy markets, including the natural gas market.”
Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the allegation.
Previous Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships have reportedly come from the Libyan coast, but Kiev officials have not publicly confirmed those reports.
Ukraine’s military has said in the past that it has used maritime drones to sink Russian ships in the Black Sea as part of efforts to combat a sweeping Russian invasion that began more than four years ago.
Last October, Ukraine’s national security agency launched an upgraded version of its maritime drone, called the Sea Baby, which it said had a range of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) and could carry warheads weighing up to 2,000 kilograms (about 4,400 pounds).
The sunken tanker, which is subject to Western sanctions, is suspected to be part of Russia’s shadow energy tanker fleet, trying to get around Moscow’s sanctions over its war in Ukraine.
Libya’s Maritime Authority said the Metagaz sailed from the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk on the Barents Sea to Port Said, Egypt, on the Mediterranean. Its last reported position was in the western Mediterranean off the coast of Malta, according to ship tracking platform MarineTraffic.
Egypt denied any connection with the ship and said the tanker was not heading to any Egyptian port, the Egyptian Oil Ministry said in a statement late Wednesday.
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Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report in Tallinn, Estonia.