Russian fuel tanker without crew spotted off Italian coast

A Russian vessel believed to be a fuel tanker has been spotted drifting without a crew near the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to a report by the Italian public broadcaster RAI.

Video footage released by the broadcaster shows a column of fire rising from the vessel, raising concerns about a possible onboard incident.

In a post published on the social media platform X, the TG1 news program said: “A Russian fuel tanker is drifting without a crew in the waters of Lampedusa. It is believed to be carrying 900 tons of diesel fuel and two tanks of liquefied gas.”

Data from the maritime tracking service MarineTraffic shows that the tanker Jupiter is currently stationary east of Lampedusa.

The data also indicates that the gas carrier Arctic Metagaz is located not far from Malta. That vessel previously caught fire following a drone attack, according to reports.

It remains unclear which of the vessels is the one referenced in the report, as the broadcaster did not specify the exact ship involved.

By Tamilla Hasanova