Russia Recovers Black Box From Damaged LNG Tanker After Mediterranean Drone Attack

Russian investigators are analysing data from the voyage data recorder of the LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz after the vessel was damaged in an alleged drone attack in the Mediterranean Sea near Malta earlier this year.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said specialists recovered the vessel’s “flight data recorder” and are decoding the information as part of a computer and forensic investigation into the March 3 incident.

According to Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, investigators travelled to Libya with support from Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry to inspect the damaged ship using drones and underwater vehicles.

Russian investigators said they found signs of fire damage, the complete destruction of the vessel’s control systems, and damage to two of the ship’s four LNG tanks.

“The nature of the damage indicates external impact from explosive devices,” Petrenko said. Authorities also said no fuel leaks or environmental pollution were found during the inspection.

Russia claims the Arctic Metagaz was attacked near Malta’s territorial waters while sailing from Murmansk to China carrying liquefied natural gas cleared under international regulations.

According to Petrenko, the vessel was targeted using at least two unmanned aerial vehicles and at least three unmanned boats carrying explosives.

Russian officials have accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack from the Libyan coast, although Ukraine has not publicly commented on the allegations. Independent verification of the incident remains limited.

The Russian Transport Ministry said all 30 crew members, all Russian citizens, were rescued after the attack. Two sailors, including the vessel’s second mate, were injured and later received medical treatment.

Russian authorities have opened a criminal case under Article 361 of the Russian Criminal Code, describing the incident as an act of “international terrorism.” Russian officials have also referred to the attack as “maritime piracy.”

Russia also released images of the damaged vessel, which multiple reports described as part of Russia’s sanctioned shadow fleet used to transport LNG cargoes.

At the time of the incident, Transport Malta warned nearby vessels after the tanker was reported adrift and not under command near waters between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa, an important commercial shipping area in the central Mediterranean.

Libyan officials spent weeks trying to secure the drifting vessel. Unconfirmed reports later suggested the tanker was brought under control near Benghazi in eastern Libya.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the incident.

Reports by RFI and the Associated Press previously said Ukraine had established a unit in Libya under an alleged arrangement with the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

The reports claimed around 200 Ukrainian operatives, many of them drone specialists, were working from three bases in Libya.

References: interfax, kyivpost