Russian shadow fleet is a ticking environmental time-bomb: Italy, France, and seven other nations told the European Commission that the Russian LNG tanker adrift in ​the Mediterranean represents an ecological threat - Reuters. The letter from EU states to the EC said that the "precarious condition" and cargo of the Arctic Metagaz tanker, a part of Russia's 'shadow fleet,' "gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of ​a major ecological disaster in the heart of the Union's maritime space," urging swift action. Russia's foreign ministry acknowledged the situation with the vessel and said its further involvement in resolving it depended on "specific circumstances." According to Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Zakharova, the tanker was carrying 700 metric tons of different types of fuel and "a substantial amount of natural gas."