Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544378
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 APRIL 2026 ANALYSIS wreck and a Mediterranean problem tard said the attack on a fully loaded tanker in the central Mediterranean by Ukraine sug- gests a "significant widening of operational scope within a much larger area of opera- tions". "The attack on the Arctic Metagaz in Malta's backyard al- so highlights a shifting dynam- ic in modern warfare where geographically distant conflicts manifest themselves around us with the proliferation of drone technologies," Attard wrote. Meanwhile, the attack has al- so caused a legal conundrum on how to deal with a potential environmental disaster posed by a sanctioned vessel adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Lawyer Ann Fenech, a spe- cialist in marine litigation, ac- knowledged the legal compli- cations surrounding the Arctic Metagaz, calling it a "Mediter- ranean problem". "When a vessel encounters serious problems that require some form of intervention there are various challeng- es but these are normally of a technical nature. In the case of the Arctic Metagaz, apart from the technical problems result- ing from the cargo's nature and the state of the ship itself, the challenges are bigger because the owners and the cargo are also sanctioned," she told Mal- taToday. The ship still has two LNG tanks that are gassing off, she added, and these pose a danger unless handled by experts in the field. But engaging with the stricken vessel is not something coun- tries have been willing to do unless the vessel approached their respective coastlines. Indeed, late last month, on Malta's initiative, several EU Mediterranean states, includ- ing Italy, wrote to the Europe- an Commission eliciting a Eu- ropean response to the dangers posed by the Arctic Metgaz. The ship had initially drifted closer to Malta before shifting winds took it towards Lampe- dusa and later down south towards the offshore oil plat- forms off western Libya. Fenech noted that EU sanc- tions regulations do allow for exemptions whenever a sanc- tioned vessel requires emer- gency assistance to safeguard human life or the environment. But she insisted that what is needed in this circumstance is collective action at govern- ment level between Mediterra- nean countries. "In the event that the ship cannot be brought under con- trol by Libya which has an ex- tensive coast line and if the ship again finds itself floating aimlessly in the Mediterrane- an, what is needed is a coalition of European and Mediterrane- an countries taking a collective decision on how to resolve this challenge," she said. For the time being the wreck remains afloat off the Libyan coast, an ominous reminder of a war being fought thousands of kilometres away and a tick- ing environmental time bomb. Top: Satellite picture from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 taken on 7 April, showing the Arctic Metagaz some 54 nautical miles off the Benghazi coastline (Photo: Copernicus) Above: Line showing the distance of the Arctic Metagaz from the Libyan coastline on 7 April as determined using the tools provided by Copernicus Sentinel-2 website (Photo: Copernicus) Lawyer Ann Fenech (left), a maritime litigation specialist, and retired colonel David P. Attard (right), a military analyst An aerial photo of the Arctic Metagaz in the days after it was hit by maritime drones that caused an explosion and fire on board