Posted on March 20, 2026
For weeks, a huge, unmanned Russian fuel tanker has been drifting aimlessly in the Mediterranean Sea, after its crew abandoned ship following a drone attack, according to the Russian government.
The 900-foot ship has a gaping hole in its green hull, aerial footage shows, and in the words of a senior Italian official, Alfredo Mantovano, “it is an environmental time bomb that threatens to cause serious damage throughout the surrounding area of the Mediterranean Sea.”
Yet amid growing outcry, no one is rushing to take responsibility for the ship’s fate.
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Italian authorities said on Wednesday that the ship was approaching Libya, but warned that Italy could not monitor it closely because it was not in Italy’s national waters.
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Libyan authorities warned on Wednesday that ships and oil platforms off the Libyan coast should look out for the listing ship, but announced no concrete response.
