The Libyan Ports and Maritime Transport Authority announced that a Russian gas tanker sank on Tuesday evening at sea, 130 nautical miles north of the Libyan city of Sirte.
The Libyan News Agency quoted the Ports Authority as saying in a navigational circular that the sinking of this tanker, named "Arctic Metagas", was carried out after it was "exposed to explosions followed by a huge fire, within the waters between Libya and Malta."
It pointed out that based on the information received from the operations room of the Libyan Search and Rescue Center, it received a distress call from the tanker last night as it passed through the Libyan Maltese waters, before it was exposed to sudden explosions on board that caused a large-scale fire and the entire sinking of the ship in the open sea.
It pointed out that the causes of the explosions that preceded the fire on the said tanker have not yet been known, while Libyan news platforms have reported videos showing the Russian tanker catching fire.