A sanctioned Russian tanker loaded with liquid natural gas is drifting out of control in the Mediterranean with no crew on board and a gaping hole in one side, prompting warnings of a "serious risk of a major ecological disaster".
An official in Italy, one of nine EU countries to write a joint letter to the European Commission urging action, has called the Arctic Metagaz an "environmental bomb" waiting to go off.
The tanker, part of a shadow fleet transporting sanctioned Russian oil and gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters earlier this month.
Ukraine has not commented on reports that it was responsible for crippling it.
The Arctic Metagaz is now floating south away from Italian waters and the island of Lampedusa towards Libya, with Italian and Maltese officials continuing to monitor its movement.
