Russia’s Shadow Fleet Linked to Malta After Mayday Message from Burning LNG Tanker
On Tuesday afternoon, Malta’s armed forces received a mayday message from the Arctic Metagaz, an LNG tanker flying under the Russian flag. The vessel was on fire after a suspected missile attack.
The incident highlights the significance of Russia‘s shadow fleet, a clandestine network of hundreds of vessels operated by Russia to evade Western sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The European Union and G7 countries capped the price at which Russian oil could be bought using Western maritime services like shipping and insurance, in an attempt to limit the country’s revenues and throttle its war machine.
Sanctions-Evading Tactics
To circumvent the sanctions, Russia expanded its fleet by acquiring ageing ships primarily from Western owners through shell companies and other opaque methods. As of February 2026, Ukraine estimated that the fleet consists of 1,337 vessels. The vessels evade sanctions in a variety of ways. Their names and countries of registration change frequently. They sail under false flags, switch off tracking signals, and broadcast false locations.
The Arctic Metagaz is a textbook example. A Norwegian-built vessel launched in 2003 and originally named Berge Everest, it has changed names and switched flags multiple times before sailing under the Russian flag. A Ukrainian government website states the vessel is sanctioned by the US, EU, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Consequences of a Large Oil Spill
Consequences of a large oil spill would be disastrous – Marine biologist Daniel De Castro
The risk of an oil spill in the Mediterranean has been amplified by the recent Ukrainian strategy of targeting the vessels with drones. In November 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted drone strikes on two shadow fleet tankers off the Turkish Black Sea coast, and later claimed responsibility.
In December, a Ukrainian intelligence source confirmed the SBU had attacked a vessel in the Mediterranean for the first time. The Oman-flagged Qendil had recently delivered oil to India and was on its way back to Russia when it was hit by an aerial drone off the coast of Libya.
The threat of an oil spill in the Mediterranean
The Qendil was empty when it was hit, and in January it ran aground on an island off the coast of Turkey.
Original Article: Why Russia’s shadow fleet matters to Malta — Timesofmalta