On 22 April around 3 pm, the towing cable between a tug and the severely damaged Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz snapped and the ship began drifting freely about 120 km north of Benghazi. The Libyan tugs were supported by the Maridive 701, a specialized vessel belonging to the Egyptian offshore marine and oil support service company Maridive. After failed attempts to reestablish the connection, the Maridive 701 left the area.
On 23 April, Libya’s Ports and Maritime Transport Authority said that technical problems prevented the tug from reconnecting to the crippled tanker. The Russian ship was completely out of control drifting at 33°59N and 020°02E, carrying an unspecified amount of LNG alongside around 450 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 250 tonnes of diesel. The Ports and Maritime Transport Authority warned all vessels to stay at least five nautical miles from the Arctic Metagaz. It also asked ships to immediately report any changes in the condition of the tanker, like a gas leak, smoke or instability.
On 24 April, the ship was near 33.64N, 20.00E. There were no new attempts to connect a towing cable.
On 26 April in the evening, the harbor tug Julyana 2 left Benghazi heading towards the Arctic Metagaz.
On 27 April in the morning, the wreck was 17 nautical miles northwest off Sidi Khalifah and 22 nautical miles north-northwest off Benghazi. The Julyana 2 tugboat is attempting to establish a towline with the stricken vessel in order to tow it northward, away from the coast.