Malta Prepares Contingency Plan as Burnt-Out LNG Tanker Drifts Closer
Authorities in Malta are closely monitoring the hulk of the Russian gas carrier Arctic Metagas as it drifts toward the island nation. Earlier reports had said the vessel had sunk after a devastating explosion and fire last week, but now it is reported to be approaching Malta.
The Times of Malta reported on Monday, March 9, that the vessel was approximately 35 nautical miles to the southeast. It had not yet crossed into Malta’s territorial waters, but the authorities are closely monitoring the hulk with regular surveillance flights.
The Maltese authorities on March 10 issued a warning to mariners about the hulk. They ordered ships to remain at least five nautical miles away from the hulk. Previously, the Libyan authorities had also warned that the vessel could still explode due to the belief that there was still LNG aboard or that it might lose stability and sink at any point.
Malta’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, said the island has a contingency plan in case the tanker continues to approach, but he did not specify what Malta might do to control the hulk. Reports said the Maltese authorities were trying to contact the vessel’s managers to determine what actions they were planning to take.
Last week, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri gave a briefing on the situation the day after the vessel exploded. It had sailed past Malta at a distance of approximately 25 nautical miles on Monday, March 2, and was approximately 150 nautical miles southeast of Malta when the explosion occurred. According to the minister, Malta received a Mayday call at approximately 1:15 pm local time on March 3, saying the vessel was on fire and required immediate assistance. They, however, believe the explosion had occurred around 0400 that morning.
A Maltese reconnaissance plane reached the area and reported that the crew was entering lifeboats. It issued another Mayday call, and the report says the crude oil tanker Respect went to assist the crew. The tanker registered in Oman is part of the Russian shadow fleet and happened to be in the same area of the Mediterranean.
Russian authorities' only comments were to accuse Ukraine of attacking the ship with a drone. They had highlighted that the event went largely unnoticed, with no condemnation from the West.
The 30 crewmembers were rescued and taken to Tobruk in Libya. Two are reported to be suffering from severe burns and were placed in a hospital in Libya.
Libya’s Ports Authority issued a follow-up on March 6, saying that with the aid of Italian and Maltese authorities, the hulk had been located. Unlike earlier reports, they said the vessel was still afloat, although listing. They suspected water was leaking into other tanks and confirmed images showed extensive fire damage. They believe the double hull of the vessel had limited the water spread and kept it afloat.
At that time, they said the hulk was drifting toward Italy and Lampedusa Island, located to the southwest of Malta. The Maltese are saying prevailing winds have, however, redirected the ship toward their territory.
Abela told The Times of Malta they were prepared to take “the necessary action” to ensure the safety of Malta. Speculation is that Malta could attempt to tow the hulk or drive it back out to sea. As the owners have likely abandoned the ship, Malta would have to undertake the operation at its expense with little hope of recovery from the owners. It is unclear if the ship had valid insurance.
Scrap Metal Barge Burns in Delaware Bay
On Tuesday, a scrap metal fire broke out aboard a barge on the Delaware Bay, prompting a multi-agency response from local fire departments.
At about 0800 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports of a fire aboard the barge American Tracker at a position in the middle of the estuary. The crewmembers of the tug towing the barge were unharmed, and vessel traffic was not affected.
At least three nearby cities dispatched marine firefighting assets to the scene, and fireboats applied water to the burning pile. A tall plume of smoke wafted behind the barge as efforts to contain the fire continued.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the barge was under tow at a position about two miles off Maurice River Cove, New Jersey. In order to get the situation under control, responders want to position it further away from the shipping channel in shallow water, where it can be temporarily anchored. Firefighting was still ongoing.
The Coast Guard has issued a warning to shipping to stay clear of the hazard as the response continues. Local public health authorities are monitoring air quality conditions, and have not seen cause for concern so far. An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.
Scrap metal fires are commonly ignited by unwanted contaminants - notably lithium-ion batteries, which can burst into flame when damaged. The fires grow and accelerate in the presence of flammable debris within the pile, such as oily wastes and plastics.
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